


The Twin Moons

by StevoCPP



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Avoiding many tags that contain spoilers, Depression, F/F, Female Protagonist, Female Relationships, Friendship, Gun Violence, Horror, Implied Sexual Content, Intimacy, Mental Instability, Multiple Timelines, Multiverse, Non-Consensual Touching, Past Events, Platonic Relationships, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Supernatural Elements, Time Travel, Violence, still have powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 05:11:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 354,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6691024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StevoCPP/pseuds/StevoCPP
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story follows a different Rachel Amber from another timeline that meets up with Max Caulfield who gets shoved all the way to the edge with her devastating losses after the finale of the game. With Rachel's expanded time powers and her own motives, will she be able to save Max? Contains multiple timelines and time travel powers. (Rated M with very strong theme of depression)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Calm After The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> This story will jump between perspective of characters and time. There will be headings to indicate the perspective, location and date when this occurs.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!!!
> 
> This story contains some triggering elements like suicide attempts, self-harm, sexual acts, blood/violence, deaths. It also contains some heavy elements like depression, suicidal thoughts, self-destructive behaviors. If anything of these offends you or anything from the tags, please don't read this story.
> 
> Cover Art is by BigBear2nd
> 
> Please check out his other amazing art works at:  
> http://bigb3ar-2nd.deviantart.com/  
> And he writes awesome LiS fanfictions too:  
> http://archiveofourown.org/users/bigb3ar_2nd/pseuds/bigb3ar_2nd
> 
> Trailer for Twin Moons made by Harpu  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NXwlX_sSHI
> 
> Please check out his other amazing animations at:  
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO8cjWlZ9Gh9UdEYxNXzh0g  
> He also is writing a LiS fanfic at:  
> http://archiveofourown.org/users/Harpuia/pseuds/Harpuia

#### Max Caulfield

#### Prescott Dormitory - Room 219

#### October 13th, 2013 7:43 AM

Max wakes up in her bed in the complete darkness of her room, stirring herself from her deep slumber. She rolls towards the edge of the bed, reaching towards the nightstand. Her hand pats clumsily for a few tries until she successfully finds her phone. She pulls the phone towards her, illuminating her puffy, fatigued eyes.

It is 7:43 AM. Max’s eyes continue to zone into the blinding backlight of the phone. Her eyes were still swollen from all the crying she did in the previous night.

_Chloe…I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect you._

Max continues to struggle to digest everything that has happened in the past week. Chloe’s funeral was only two days ago. All the events that led up to her funeral were a blur to her. Just like with all the other photo hopping she did, with all those moments: preventing Kate’s suicide, breaking into Blackwell’s pool, and finding Rachel’s body, never actually happened.

The only thing that undoubtedly did happen was Chloe’s death. Nathan shot her, and Max cowered in the corner of the restroom, completely powerless. Along with that moment, a part of Max died as well.

It should have been a blessing for Max to be able to spend a week with her best friend. For the two Arcadia Bay pirates to have one last final adventure together. To search for Rachel Amber. Sometimes in life, you don’t even get that first chance. Don’t even get the chance to correct your mistakes, and mend broken relationships.

The phone backlight shuts off, as her face returns back to darkness. She still has that photo of the blue butterfly in the restroom. With just one photo hop, she could make everything right again...But then, the town will be destroyed by the tornado.

Max couldn't stop thinking about what Chloe’s mind was going through right before her death. With the broken relationship with her parents. Her very good friend Rachel, that she loved, went missing for months. And her awful best friend that left her when she needed her the most, but never wrote or texted for five years. Max hates herself for this. Why couldn’t she have been there for her? If only she was there, perhaps maybe...Chloe’s soul would be more at ease. To know that she was never alone. That someone in this world loved and cared about her. Even if it is just one person.

Chloe’s final words continue to haunt Max’s mind.

_“Wherever I end up after this..in whatever reality...all those moments between us were real, and they’ll always be ours.”_

Max’s eyes begin to tear up when those words echo repeatedly in her fragile mind. An indescribable anger boils deep inside Max. She despises herself for having this power. In the future, what if something similar happens again? She will continue to be powerless again to do anything. And again, she will always feel empty. Forever.

The phone vibrates, breaking the silence of the room, creating a gentle soft light onto the ceiling. Max scoots closer the edge and squints towards the phone. It is a text message from Mom.

> **Mom:** Max, your father and I are on the way. I know this is early, hopefully my text doesn't wake you up. (7:46 AM)
> 
> **Mom:** Google Maps says it is going to take about 7 hours. We will probably be there close to 3PM. Sleep in, honey. We will be there soon! (7:46 AM)

Max’s parents couldn't make it to Chloe’s funeral. So instead, they’re driving from Seattle today to spend a full week with her, as well as pay their respect to Chloe. The last few days, they sensed the intense sorrow in their daughter's tone in the phone calls they had. They both took work off to come down and comfort her. They even insisted for her to take a week off school and stay in the hotel with them.

That is probably not a bad idea. Yesterday, Max took a stroll back to that dreaded bathroom near the entrance of the school. Almost instantly her body became paralyzed in fear and she froze in place. That door will forever be a constant reminder of her inability to save her best friend.

Max blinks her eyes, as a few drops of tear flows smoothly down her face. She leans forward again to grab the phone to reply to her Mom.

> **Max:** Thanks. Can’t wait to see both you and Dad. I’m going to go back to sleep. (7:48 AM)

She returns the phone back to the nightstand and collapses back to her bed. There are no follow-up text messages from her mother. She probably didn't want to disturb her anymore. Despite the teary face, Max starts to grow very sleepy and passes out.

* * *

A faint whisper echoes into Max’s ear. Sudden chill expands slowly throughout her body. She tenses up in pure dread and fear.

 _Who was that voice?_ The voice sounded like a ghost, but it isn't anyone that Max could easily recognize. Could possibly just be her dream seeping into the cold reality for a brief moment.

Her phone begins vibrating, shaking the nightstand. Slowly gathering her limited courage within her body, she rolls over to the edge of the bed to pick it up. It's 12:36 PM and her mother is calling. They must be getting close now. Max swipes the phone, bringing it up to her ear.

“Hey Mom." Relieved her Mom is calling after that eerie moment. “How far are you guys?” There is a brief silence on the other end of the line. Her mom always goofs up with putting on her blue-tooth headset or accidentally butt-dialing her several times in the past. In a slightly more irritated tone, “Hey Mom, are you there?”

“Max, it is nice to finally hear you today. I hope you had some good sleep. We’re supposed to be there in three hours. But we are running late.” The young brunette smiles, just alone hearing her mother's voice relaxes her nerves. _They will both be here soon!_

She pauses for a little bit, slowly letting in the thought of her parents arriving later today, warms her tense body. “No problem. Tell Dad to drive safe.”

Her mom pulls away from the phone to relay her wish to her father. There is a brief pause with incomprehensible muttering, that is followed by her dad’s signature chuckle.

Max giggles, almost shedding some tears of joy. Just hearing their voices brings so much happiness to her. And just wait until they actually come. “I can hear Daddy’s laughter.” Max lets out an exhale of joy. “Can’t wait to see you guys!” She is already feeling better.

Her mother laughs, sensing that her daughter is going through a lot. But she continues to keep everything positive as possible. There is again a moment of silence, as her mom thinks about what to say next. “Honey, wake up first and meet your friend, Kate.” She lets out a sigh against the phone. “We both love you.”

Her eyebrows furrow a little bit, confused with her mother's statement. _How does she know I was going to meet up with Kate?_ She must have mentioned it earlier in the week and totally forgot about it. Her mind was a blur during that time, not fully aware what happened last week. Max casually asks, “Mom, how did you know I was going to meet up with Kate?” She didn’t want to sound like she’s making an accusation. “I probably mention it before, huh?”

The phone lets out two beeps, as she looks down, seeing the call got dropped. Must be a shitty reception. Immediately, she swipes the ‘Call’ button to call her back. But it went straight to the voicemail. So probably bad reception on the other side. No big deal.

Max springs onto her feet, much more energized than before. Just a few more hours, her parents are going to be here. Exactly what she needs. She quickly put on her jeans, pink t-shirt and the usual gray hoodie jacket. She opens the door and walks into the quiet hallway.

There is no one else in the hallway. Feels eerie and desolate when it is usually full of life. Dana is usually blasting her music with her doors open, but maybe she decided to be more considerate towards her neighbors today. Guess it is for the better no one is here, because of all the crying she has been doing in bed, she wouldn't want anyone to see her face. She makes a quick stroll into the restroom to wash up, which also completely void of life. Odd. But could be because the morning rush is over. She hurries her way towards Kate’s door, but then all of a sudden froze in front of it.

 _Shit, I probably should have texted her first, to tell her I was coming over._ Max brings her palm right square into her face, in disappointment. No point in doing that now. Max gently knocks on Kate's door and politely takes a step back, tucking both her hands into the front pockets of her jacket.

Kate opens the door partially. She seems distracted as she initially dodges eye contact with Max. Finally, she sets her eyes on the brunette and smiles. “Hey Max! I thought you were going to give me a text before coming.”

Max’s mouth drops opened, and her hands quickly reveal itself from her jacket. “I know. I know. I’m sorry.” Max gives an apologetic hand gesture. “I slept in and was talking to my mom just a few minutes ago. Totally meant to call you.”

Kate shakes her head and brushes a few stray dangling hairs, smiling, “No worries Max. How are your parents? Are they arriving soon?"

"In a few hours," Max lets out a huge smile.

Kate crosses her arms and grins. "It's a blessing to see your smile, Max. It brings so much joy in the air." She relishes the moment of seeing the tortured photographer finally smiling again. She has been very depressed after the death of her best friend. Kate uncrosses her arms, "Please come on in. I’m not doing anything.” Kate clears her throat and opens the door some more to signal Max to come in. “Other than just watching some depressing news on my computer.” Kate pout her lips with a sadden expression.

Max walks in passing by Kate and taking note there are some subtle tears in her eyes. “Oh no. I’m sorry.” She frowns.

Kate flinches away with a nervous smile. “Don’t worry about me. Please come in.”

Max continues further into the bedroom with Kate closing the door after her. The brunette stops in her path and turns around. “What type of depressing news?” She hopes she isn’t being too nosy and treading onto Kate’s personal matters. After all, that is what she is great at doing.

Kate walks past Max, towards her computer. “Yeah, there was an…” She briefly pauses to take a moment to clear her throat. “An accident.” She takes a deep breath to clarify herself. “Car accident that happened on the 101 South. A bit north of Arcadia Bay.”

Max stares at Kate with a blank look. Even with her Kate's back towards her, she senses something is wrong with the long silence. She turns around to face her and continues, “Max, is your parents flying or taking the train from Seattle to Portland?”

The hipster's eyes drift to the side. “No, they’re driving here.” Her eyes return back focusing on the church girl.

Kate’s eyes widen a bit, her mouth slowly opens as if she was about to say something. She pauses for a bit, then the realization finally hits her. She turns to her laptop letting out a sigh of relief. “Oh don’t worry Max. The accident happened two hours ago.” She takes a step towards her laptop, looking at the video playing on the screen. “But still, may the soul of those two people find rest. As well as their families.”

Max still haven’t moved at all as she continues to stare deep into the far distant. There is just something unsettling with all of this. Finally, she walks steadily towards Kate’s laptop. Tragedies like this are usually very depressing to watch. Because she still has the time-rewind power but is too afraid to use it because of the consequences it will have. A part of her always wants to fix the lives of people, but she knows she can cause much more destruction to the world. However, her concerns is a little different this time. Just an odd feeling.

The video coverage of the news is blurry, but it wasn’t showing the scene of the accident. It must have finished the on-site coverage and jumped back to the newsroom with the reporter.

The male news reporter continues on with his report, “Their names has not been released as we are only told the victims are residents of Seattle. The local sheriffs are currently contacting the relatives of the victims first…”

Despite Kate’s reassurance, the brunette's face went deathly cold. Her breathing became shallow. Max isn’t a superhero anymore. Her mind is still crumbled from last week’s experience.

Kate’s attention turns towards Max, who was right beside her, gently grasping at her own arm. Max ignores Kate, as she frantically reaches for her phone. She unlocks the phone and went straight to the call logs. Her eyes scan through the list of recent calls. There is a very short duration call sent to her mother at 12:38 PM, which has to be the one that went straight to the voice mail. But there are no calls received from her mom at all today. Nothing. She never called Max today.

The church girl turns her entire body around, with both arms reaching to the shocked girl. “Max! Are you okay?”

Her words didn't have any effect at all. Max went completely dazed. Physically, she is standing up, but her mind is in a state of disarray. Kate can feel the poor girl's body trembling. In fear.

Max’s phone lights up again, this time with a phone call. With an unknown caller from the 503 area code. This is Arcadia Bay’s area code. She continues to stand there like she is in some sort of trance.

Kate peers over her shoulder, looking at the ringing phone, then right back at the frightened girl's face. She then wraps her arm around Max’s shoulder. Both girls are trembling right now.

Max snaps out of it, taking a deep breath and swipe the call to answer before it goes to the voicemail. She takes another breath, shakily raising her phone to her ear. “This is Max.”

“Hello. Maxine?” It is an older male on the phone. “Maxine Caulfield?”

The brunette slowly flutters her eyes, keeping them closed. “Yes.”

The voice on the phone continues, “Hi, this is Deputy Robert Ericson from the Tillamook County Sheriff Department.”

Instantly, Max releases her grip, dropping the phone. It crashes into the carpet, with her body following it, shortly. She went to her knees, holding up by her two hands. Her body went completely numb and all the sound around her became muffled. The news coverage from the laptop and Kate’s desperate screaming. It all sounds like she is being held underwater. Drowning.

Kate grabs Max, but she doesn't fidget or respond. Not acknowledging anything else at all, she lifts her head, eyes scanning all around the room in a circular motion, looking past the church girl.

Kate picks up Max’s phone, talking to the caller. Finally, the brunette wee able to clumsily focus on Kate, with her eyes sluggishly following the blond girl, pacing back in forth. Max couldn't hear anything clearly anymore.

Kate circles close to brunette, in desperation, talking to the person on the phone. Then suddenly, she drops down to the ground, handing over the phone, and her other hand gently pressing on Max's shoulder. The dazed girl's head slowly turns towards Kate, looking past her and ignoring the phone being held. The caller wants to talk to her, but she shows no interest in it.

Kate takes the phone back to her ear and resumes her circles. Max’s eyes continue to follow her movement until the blond girl stops in her path. Kate turns around to look at Max, with eyes wide opened. Her mouth drops opened, her hands quickly covering her mouth. Tears emerge from her eyes as she drops the phone, as well. Her body crashes down to her knees right beside Max.

_I knew it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I'm a total newbie writer that just truly inspired by Life is Strange amazing creative universe. This is my first fan fiction/story writing ever. Feel free to leave some critique and feedback. I'm reading other LiS fan fictions to help improve my writing.
> 
> This chapter is more of a prologue, just to acknowledge it takes place after LiS.
> 
> (8/20/16) I rewritten this chapter to fix several mistakes, flowing for better effect.


	2. First Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 and 3 is going to take place in a different timeline from Max's timeline in Chapter 1.

_Elizabeth: “Rachel, you have a fever again. You stayed up too late last night. It was cold too.”_  
_Rachel: “Mom?”_  
_Elizabeth: “I’m sorry I have to go to work soon. But does it hurt, honey?”_  
_Rachel: “A little...but not as much as other things.”_  
_Elizabeth: “Like what?”_  
_Rachel: “Maxine’s parents kick me out of their house last night.”_  
_Elizabeth: “What? Did you do something wrong?”_  
_Rachel: “I think so. I said to Maxine I saw a tornado out in the ocean.”_  
_Elizabeth: “Haha...really? And they got mad?”_  
_Rachel: “Well...I also said that my blue jay feather earring has Dad’s spirit in it. That I feel he is with me all the time, when I wear it.”_  
_Elizabeth: “I see...”_  
_Rachel: “Mom…?”_  
_Elizabeth: “Yes, honey?”_  
_Rachel: “They told me I need to go see a doctor.”_

#### Rachel Amber

#### Pineview Apartments - Room 203

#### August 23th, 2016 7:59 PM

Maxine’s phone alarm begins ringing on the nightstand in their dark studio apartment. She previously set the alarm to 8:00 PM, so she can take a short nap before the party.

Rachel’s body jerks slightly, awaking from her slumber. It was a short nap but still able to have a vivid dream. She was talking to her mom again. On that terrible day that marked the beginning of the decline between the relationship of her and Maxine’s parents.

The blonde girl lifts her head off from her pillow, eyeing across the small cramped dim room at her best friend. Faint, thin shards of moonlight were able to slip through the window blinds, lighting enough to outline several parts of the room, including Maxine’s bed. Of course, she is pretending to be still sleeping and too lazy to reach over to turn off the piercing loud alarm on the phone. Rachel purposely lets out a deep snort to give an audible cue that she is awake, in hope the brunette will get the idea.

But still nothing. Finally, Rachel pushes her body up angrily, causing her bed to creak more than it needs to. She slides her legs off to the side of the bed, reaching towards the obnoxious phone to dismiss the alarm. She sits back on her bed glancing over at Maxine, as the faint blue glow from the active phone illuminates the lazy girl's figure. “Get up. I know you’re awake.” Rachel's head drifts back down, dangling loosely and looking at her lap, as she still have some sleep inertia from the nap.

You can hear Maxine’s calm breathing in the silence of the room. “Go with me.” She mutters in a perfect tone, with no signs of grogginess. She must have been awake for a little while. The blonde lets out a frustrated sigh at her request. She continues, “I want you to get to know Nathan some more.”

Rachel looks up blankly at the dimly lit ceiling, running her fingers through her blonde ponytail. “I’m serious Maxine. Don’t push me.” Nathan Prescott, is the son of the most wealthy and renowned family in Arcadia Bay. There is something very off with him and his family. Though nothing ever publicly confirmed, there has been rumors about very shady deals, kidnappings, and even murders with the Prescotts.

Maxine ignores her warning and hastily continues, “It’s his 21st birthday party. And I think he might be a little into me.” She says it in a singing voice, turning her head towards her friend with dreamy smile. The moonlight is being reflected perfectly off her grinning teeth. “Or maybe he is into you?” She continues in a playful tone. Her smile slowly subsides, sensing the blonde girl's uneasiness to her tease.

Rachel recoils her body away from her. Maxine rolls over, to get a view of the disapproved girl’s posture in the dark. Well first of all, a damn rich kid's 21st birthday is going to be a fucking huge party. No way in hell would an introvert like Rachel be remotely comfortable in a place like that. The blonde snaps, “Do you even care about how I feel? I don’t want my best friend to be anywhere near the family that murdered my father.” It came out rather over dramatic but she meant every word about it. The energy she spent pouring that out, has her mouth gaping for air.

Maxine reaches over to switch on the table lamp, finally giving light to the rest of the room. She rises up to the edge of the bed, with her long wavy brown hair draping down from both sides of her head. She already has on what she is going to wear to the party. A gray light jacket with a dark blue crop tank top and jeans. Her eyes focus on her friend with an irritated look. But seeing the distress in Rachel’s face, the brunette takes a minute to rethink what to say. She looks down at her lap. “This again? It wasn’t Nathan’s fault at all. Please don’t put it on him.” She lifts her head to look at Rachel. “Nathan’s father, Sean Prescott, I know you feel he is responsible. But it was an accident Rachel.”

Rachel interrupts Maxine by standing up from her bed abruptly. “Accident?” Barely pushing that word out of her mouth. She hated people calling that about her father’s death. It just always implies that was an excusable death and action. People that died from accidents are instantly forgotten in our society, and that is the last thing she wants for her father to be. Forgotten. The idea of not being remembered, or simply easily forgotten is Rachel's greatest fear. She approaches Maxine slowly until she is right in front of her, looking down at her.

Maxine’s eyes were terrified in what her best friend may do to her next. “Rachel...I’m sorry.” She looks back down. “I know-”

Rachel hisses through her teeth, interrupting her. “You keep saying that.” She reaches down, clenching Maxine’s left wrist and squeezing it with force.

The brunette flinches with the sudden pain on her wrist. Slowly, calmness creeps back into her as she realizes this is getting familiar. She has come to be used to blonde’s violent and abusive outbreak. “Rachel, please.” She looks up with apologetic eyes.

Rachel takes a deep breath and gently releases her grip on Maxine’s wrist. She runs her hand up along her arms and hold on to it, softly. “I love you.” She mutters that out with awkward and inept. Even her own eyes were steering clear from looking at her friend.

Maxine looks up to her, and smiles back. Rachel has never been one to be able to truly show her heartfelt emotions. Maxine, always given her the benefit of the doubt. The beautiful brunette smiles slowly fades away, as her face drops back down. She couldn’t say the same thing to Rachel. Not right now.

Rachel wanting to hear something or anything back from her. “You could never say that to me.”

Maxine shakes her head, “You have been scaring me.” She looks up but then quickly to the side, as she couldn’t maintain direct eye contact with her. “You need to give me some space.”

The blonde tilts her head to the side, to get a view of Maxine’s face. “Some space?” She says it in a condescending tone. “So you can do whatever you _want_ with people?”

“You mean make friends?” Maxine snarls back quickly.

Of course, Rachel didn’t mean just friends. She always loved Maxine. While the both of them has made subtle hints of affections with each other, nothing has truly been established. Could be due to Rachel’s lack of self confidence. But also could be Maxine’s feeling fluctuates from time to time. Rachel has a very unstable personality that her best friend can only tolerate so much. Regardless, Rachel just doesn’t want Maxine to be with anyone else. She doesn’t want to be left alone.

Rachel glares back, almost wanting to cry. “I can’t stand the idea of you with anyone else.” Her throat tightens, and grips the brunette's arm some more. “I only want you and me. That is all I ask for in this world.”

Maxine stares blankly ahead, slowly digesting her friend’s words. She looks up at her with a serious expression. “You can’t do this to me.” Her head drifts to the side, biting her lower lips. Then it just occurs in her mind. “You always…” Maxine pauses for a moment. She collects her thoughts with confidence, glaring back at Rachel. “You always been doing this to me my entire life.”

Rachel lets out a soft whimper, tearing up. It is true, this miserable _adventure_ , that these two friends been doing, has been pathetic. Maxine, very well can leave Rachel any moment, to move on to a much better life without her. Rachel knows this. Maxine knows this, too.

Maxine looks on with a concerned look, wanting to comfort her. Instead, she gently pushes Rachel back to give her space to stand up. She heads towards the door. “It is just irrational.” She stops a few steps in front of the door. “You need to understand other people’s feelings. Before it’s too…”

She stops, having regrets with her last sentence. She swallows to clear her throat and approaches the door. Rachel darts towards her from behind, pinning her against the door. This startles the brunette greatly, causing her to let out a scream. Rachel grips Maxine's right hand tightly against the door, almost as if she trying to silence her. With her other hand she clenches onto Maxine’s left shoulder. The blonde brings her head close to behind her friend. They were both breathing hard, as they can feel each other’s warm breath. Maxine finally whispers calmly, “Rachel…I have to go, now.”

Maxine is waiting for Rachel’s response, however there were nothing but her breathing. The blonde gently presses her nose into brunette’s hair, running it down to her neck, smelling her.

Maxine didn’t feel comfortable at all. Rachel’s breathing became heavier. Her facial expression seems to be almost impervious her friend's discomfort. Maxine gently backs up, pushing the blonde back as well, to give enough space to open the door.

Rachel didn’t let go at first. But brunette forcefully shakes her shoulder until she freed herself. She opens the door to leave room, letting the door crash shut. 

Rachel continues to stares at the door where her friend was just a few moments ago. It has been frustrating lately, with this abnormal insecurity in herself. And her inability to effectively communicate her emotions and thoughts in a way that wouldn't put Maxine down. There is something wrong with Rachel. And she hated herself for it.

She, then bites her lower lip, and slams the side of her head into the door frame. It hurts, but not enough to soothe the real pain deep inside her head. She does it a few more times, with increasingly force and an agonizing scream through her teeth, until the last one has left her severely dizzied.

The door opens abruptly but slowly, and Maxine peeks her head in with curious eyes. Rachel tilts her head slightly, barely able to face her friend. Everything is spinning in her head.

Maxine's mouth drops opened, as she look at her in shocked. She heard the loud banging of the noise and had to confirm what she heard. This isn’t the first time Rachel has exhibit a violent behavior outburst. She has done this many times, mostly to her own self. She reaches her hand out almost to place it on the blonde’s shoulder, but she stopped. 

The brunette's blank eyes drift down slightly, looking past her friend. Rachel didn’t move a muscle, other than her heavy breathing. Maxine ponders just about how much can she put up with this. She shakes her head in disappointment and again, left the room.

Rachel still staring at where her friend was. _Stupid…_ The world slowly stopped spinning, as she drags herself to her bed, where she collapses there.

There is nothing but complete silence. Hoping that Maxine will maybe change her mind to check up on Rachel again or comfort her within the next few moments. But she didn’t come back.

 

* * *

 

Rachel stares at the dark ceiling from her bed, being consumed by its emptiness. She has a severe headache from the blows to the head she inflicted on herself. But it is the least of her worries. She can’t stop thinking about the conversation she had with Maxine. She tilts her head. and reaches for her phone. It is 12:25 AM. It’s already past midnight and has been over four hours since Maxine been gone. Rachel hopes she could just go to the sleep to just end this miserable shit of a day. Or maybe it will be better if she never wakes up again. Rachel will love that.

_I need help. Badly. I’m going to be alone real soon. I’m going to be dead, and not a single soul in this world will care._

Almost three years ago, both Maxine and Rachel ran away from her home. Maxine's parents kept putting increasingly amount of pressures on Maxine to get into prestigious colleges or Blackwell Academy. Maxine became sick of being a failure to their eyes and decided to leave home with Rachel when they became adults. Both of them changed their cell phone numbers so their parents wouldn't be able to contact them and can begin their new adventures together. At least that’s the story they tell people, if anyone do ask.

Maxine’s parents also had a strong hatred towards Rachel, claiming she was an ill influence on Maxine. Rachel and her family moved from Long Beach to Arcadia Bay when she was six years old. She met Maxine and became best friends. However, shortly after Rachel’s father Bradley died in a work accident, Rachel never had been the same. Being widowed, Rachel’s mother, Elizabeth had to work extra long hours, forcing her to leave Rachel alone almost all the time. She felt very neglected and lonely all the time.

Maxine’s parents saw this as an opportunity to take Rachel in, almost like an unofficial foster parents to her. This help brought some sanity back into Rachel, by being close to her best friend almost all the time.

However, Rachel started hearing voices in her head, and seeing dark figures in her dreams. She claimed they are friendly and that one day she wants Maxine to meet them. Rachel started telling Maxine what words the spirits shared with her. The young brunette never really took anything too seriously. She just thought Rachel has a creative imagination or probably watched too much Bambi, when she said a deer is always watching her.

She just accepted Rachel for who she was. She maybe thought the voices is just a result of Rachel growing up isolated and lonely. Perhaps, when a girl gets that depressed, she also becomes delusional and looses her grasp with reality. Maxine figured the best way to make someone less lonely, is well...be by their side all the time.

Maxine’s parents found out about this. For them, it was very frightening news to discover. To anyone it was unnatural, even for a young girl that lost her father to be behaving like this. Maxine’s parents recommended Rachel to seek some professional assistance for her mental health, as it could be proved to be dangerous, if it remains to be uncorrected. Because they weren’t Rachel actual parents, they had to approach Elizabeth with it.

Elizabeth saw this as a complete insult to her daughter. The last thing a fatherless girl wants, is to lose the last remaining threads that makes her a rational human being, and that is credibility. You lose all of that when you get declared mentally unstable. Once you get diagnosed with it, there is no going back. She was always a lesser human in the eyes of others already. There is no need to twist the knife. This led to a falling apart between the two families. A chain of emotional crumbling events between the two families, eventually caused Maxine and Rachel to run off together. Maxine, always have been very sympathetic with Rachel, and kept siding with her. She felt she is the only person that can save Rachel in this world.

But someone can only bend backwards so far for someone. When you lose the only person that is keeping you alive, you are already in hell.

 

* * *

 

 _Ryan: “Rachel, I know you said something about tornado in the water. Which is by the way, called a waterspout. What was the other thing you said again?”_  
_Maxine: “Dad, please stop.”_  
_Ryan: “No, I really want to hear. You don't want Maxine to go to Blackwell Academy?”_  
_Rachel: “Yes.”_  
_Maxine: “Rachel, you don't have to say anything.”_  
_Ryan: “No, this seems serious. You said something about Maxine going up to the roof?”_  
_Rachel: “Yes, and she jumped off.”_  
_Vanessa: “I can't listen to this anymore, Ryan.”_  
_Ryan: “No, I really want to hear more. How come Maxine jump off the roof?”_  
_Rachel: “Because you guys died in a car accident.”_  
_Maxine: “Mom, please get back.”_  
_Vanessa: “You say all of this very casually, Rachel.”_  
_Rachel: “I-I really don't mean any harm. But it is true.”_  
_Ryan: “Rachel, you really need some help.”_

Rachel didn't fall asleep. She really hoped she was able to, but she have been awake the entire time. The dream she had earlier, made her think about the past some more. About what she said to Maxine's parents.

She reaches over for her phone, for what felt like the millionth time. It is 1:46 AM. She pauses for a little bit to ponder, if it is appropriate to text her. It has been almost six hours.

Maxine’s words from the past, echoes in Rachel's mind. _I will always be here for you Rachel. No matter what you may think._ Those words in her head, almost causes her to cry again. Maxine knows Rachel always have lots of self-doubt and misinterpret everyone, including herself. So to hear Maxine say that, was probably one of the best thing anyone can say to her.

She unlocks her screen, hesitating for a little bit. _Have some confidence!_ Rachel sighs and closes her eyes. _Maybe I will have more self confidence if I stop fucking around so much._ She opens her eyes and proceed to send a text to her best friend.

> **Rachel:** Hey, I’m sorry about everything. How are you doing? Do you need me to pick you up? (1:47 AM)

Rachel slides her phone down her body to rest it on her stomach, waiting for it to vibrate with Maxine’s reply. 

Few minutes has passed, and still nothing. Her face starts to become uneasy. That familiar feeling of hopeless and loneliness overwhelms her. _And...this is why I don’t have any self confidence. I internalize just about everything and I can’t help it._ She can imagine that Maxine is probably looking at her phone right now, only to put it away and proceed to be pulled away by Nathan for a make out session.

He is about the same age as Maxine, which is a year younger than Rachel. Both the girls met Nathan at a bar, that did not card because Maxine and Nathan were underage. Maxine started to show some interest in him. Maybe it because he has cash. Lots of it. They both could use the cash.

Both Maxine and Rachel still lives in the same city as their parents, which is a bit funny, because they both ran away from them. They both have a dream of going to Los Angeles, which is the area where Rachel originally from.

Rachel’s phone lights up and begins to vibrate. It wasn’t a text, instead it was a phone call from Maxine.

A smile emerges from her face, almost tearing up in joy. _Thank you for the one thousandth time._ She quickly swipes the phone to answer the call.

“Hey Maxine. Are you okay?” Rachel’s breath quickens very sharply, that she almost cough.

It is Maxine’s phone that called, but there is some other girl on the other line. “Hi, are you a friend of- Umm, well _shit_.” The caller hesitates for a second. The blonde is growing impatient on her side, hopefully she would finish. “Max? Or is it Maxim? No wait, that's my magazine.” Rachel’s heart stops for a moment after being mentioned of her friend's name.

_Sometimes is wrong…_

She replies back quickly. “Yes, Maxine. Who is this?” Her face becomes pale. With the previous thoughts about Maxine jumping off the roof and her parents dying in a car accident has made Rachel very anxious. Her voice becoming more demanding and already jumping into conclusion. “Is everything alright? Is she alright?”

The caller replies. “She is alright, just a little shaken up. But please, come to the corner of 1st Street and Stillwell Avenue in Downtown. We are-where are you going? Dad?" The caller became distracted and something is going on her side. "Shh! Alright!" She sounds agitated. "We are in a parking lot. You can’t miss it.”

This stranger has Rachel very suspicious of. But she doesn't have a choice. However, her voice seems very casual and genuine. And her father is with her, so maybe there is nothing to worry about. _Right?_ But Maxine is shaken up? Did something happen to her? Rachel clenches her fist, digging her nails deep into the flesh of her hand. She is filled with anger just thinking about the type of jackasses that could be in the party. But she calmly replies to the caller. “Please stay by her. I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’m leaving right now.”

“Don’t worry we’ll be here.” The lighthearted tone in the caller’s tone continues to comfort Rachel.

There is a short pause. “Sorry but I would like to know. Who is this?”

“My name is Chloe. I’m here also with my dad,” said the caller.

“Thanks Chloe. I’ll be right there,” Rachel then hangs up the phone. Without thinking much for once, she dashes out the door. 

_Please be okay, Maxine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This is a difficult chapter to write since it has to lay out background settings and explore some characters' personalities. I know this is a detour from the first chapter. But there is multiple timeline in this story.
> 
> I think Rachel's personality gave me the hardest time because I didn't want her to be the same Rachel that we know (or what we think we know) in Life is Strange. I did want her to be a far more flawed character, that will get fleshed out as the story continues.
> 
> This has been a challenge for me. So if there any feedback on this timeline so far, or the characters so far. Please let me know.
> 
> 8/30/16 - There were a lot of flow issues in this chapter. I did my best to correct it.


	3. Trigger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mother's Day! This is a long one...with much more dialogues. Hopefully you guys like it!

#### Rachel Amber

#### Downtown Arcadia Bay

#### August 24th, 2016 2:08 AM

Rachel grips the steering wheel steadily, as she speeds through the winding road towards Downtown, to meet up with Chloe and Maxine. There isn't a single soul out in this hick town at this time. She glances over at her phone, placed in the cup holder. No missed calls or text from Chloe or Maxine.

 _What happened to Maxine at the party? And who is this Chloe person?_

This could very well be a trap that Rachel is driving into, but there isn’t really any other choices.

She pulls up to the parking lot that the caller mentioned. There is only one car, and that is a red pick up truck parked in the lot. A tall slender young woman with blond hair, is leaning against the truck and peering into the truck bed with curious eyes. That is probably Chloe. She appears to be around both Rachel and Maxine’s age. She looks over when the headlights shine over in her direction.

Rachel's car pulls up to the parking spot, one over from Chloe's and stops, turning off the headlights.

Chloe takes one last glance at the truck bed and then approaches the window on the distressed girl’s side. “Hey, are you Rachel?”

Rachel’s eyes slowly adjust, as it is initially difficult to see her face because of the bright amber colored street lamp behind her. “Yeah. You’re Chloe, right?”

The young woman responds back cheerfully. “Yep that’s me. Come on out the car. Nice to meet you, Rachel.” She steps back politely to give some space. Rachel slowly looks around to see if there is anything else suspicious in the area. But it is only just the two of them in this surprisingly well-lit section of Downtown. She gives Chloe one last skeptical look, but is fairly convinced with the sincerity in her expression. But then again, anyone can be nice to anyone. She turns off the car engine and steps out of the car.

Rachel’s eyes continue to focus on Chloe, closing the car door by pressing her butt into it. She clumsily fumbles with her car keys into the pocket of her tight jeans. Her eyes scan her up and down observing all the features she has. She has long blond hair. More like strawberry blond hair, and she has a tall, thin build. She is wearing an over-sized dark blue sweater that says 'Arcadia Bay', with some light jeans. You can tell fashion isn’t at all high on her priority list. She has a rather cheerful smile. Despite how dorky she looked, she is a very beautiful girl. 

Rachel is cautious though, not too sure what to think of her. She could very well be one of the scumbag at Nathan’s party. Rachel digs her left hand in her pocket, gripping a pocket knife hidden in there, so she is ready to take it out. “So, where is she?”

Apparently, Rachel isn't too subtle with her concealed weapon. Chloe looks over at the suspicious blonde's hand in her pocket and easily suspects that there is a weapon. Chloe presses her lips together and smiles. She shuffles the long sleeves of the sweater in an adorable way, until her hands were fully exposed to reveal she has nothing in her hands.

Rachel glances at both the empty hands, then looks back at blonde's eyes. Chloe lifts her hands up, as if she is surrendering, “Hey, let’s play it cool, okay?” Rachel nods slowly, and she takes her hand out of her pocket cautiously, so her knife doesn’t accidentally pop out. Rachel leans back relaxed, crossing her arms. Chloe nods in approval and continues, “We laid her down in our truck bed.” She tilts her head at the direction of the truck, signaling her to follow.

They both pace towards the truck, leaning to peer over the side of the truck. There's Maxine, lying unconscious on the truck bed on top of a sweater. She looks very sick, with what seems like dried up tears around the corner of her closed eyes. She seems like she may have vomited or gagged as well. The sight of her like this is very disheartening to Rachel. She steps up on the giant tire of the car, to climb onto the truck bed to Maxine.

“Be careful.” Chloe warns hastily, also climbing up the truck right behind Rachel. “I think she was drugged. More than just alcohol, we think. There were some umm...spit coming out of her mouth, so we should keep her on her side.” Rachel leans back to look at Chloe with an appalled face. Chloe lowers her body to Rachel’s level, also putting her hand on sleepy brunette's side. “At least my dad think so.”

Rachel moves her body close to Maxine, to get a closer look at her. She has a raspy breathing and you can hear some fluid in her throat, but at least it sounds fairly clear. She is completely out cold.

_Maxine, what happened?_

Rachel bites on her lower lip, clenching her fist. If only earlier, she wasn’t so damn stubborn to pick a fight with Maxine, she could have prevented this. Someone must have drugged her at this party. Must have been humiliating for Maxine. _What kind of fucking friends let this happen to you? Well, a dumb ass like me._ She takes a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, “Your dad is here?” She glances around to see if he is nearby.

“He was with us, but just left shortly before you pulled into the parking lot. He heard some commotions, and wanted to take a look. He told me to stay here with Maxine, to make sure she’s okay.” Chloe falls back, being held up by her two hands behind her. She tilts her head towards the dark alleyway. “He thinks maybe he can find someone that knows who did this to your friend.” Rachel’s body straightens up, getting ready to stand up. Her quick body movement grabs the attention of the other blonde. “Woah there, tiger.” Chloe shifts her weight forward to grab Rachel’s shoulder with one of her hand. “Believe me, I want to slam whoever is responsible into the ground, but we have to chill for now. No need to ‘Go Ape’.” She buries her face into her other palm in embarrassment. “Wow, that sounds really dumb.”

Rachel looks over at Chloe’s hand that is resting on her shoulder. She heeds her advice, relaxing and sitting her butt back onto the truck bed.

Chloe slowly releases her grip on Rachel’s shoulder. “Stay with your friend, for now. I’m little worried for my dad, though. He was flipping out when he saw your friend like this.” Chloe looks down towards the sick brunette. “He is always worried about me. So to see someone else’s daughter-” She gets distracted, slipping her fingers to comb through Maxine’s long wavy hair.

Rachel’s eyes drift towards Chloe’s fingers that is making advances towards the unconscious brunette. “Please don’t do that with her.” She scolds at her.

Chloe pulls her hand away quickly, embarrassed. “Oops. Sorry, sorry.” She looks back at Rachel with an apologetic look. “I'm just totally digging her long wavy hair.” She gives out a sheepish smile.

It is hard to get angry with Chloe’s smile. Her personality seems to be genuine and full of life, which is the opposite of Rachel. She is kind of the person that Rachel always wanted to be. The grumpy blonde shrugs off her earlier comment and continues on with the conversation. “How did you find her?”

Chloe’s smile disappears and became more neutral. “We were driving home from Portland. And we saw her on the sidewalk. She was barely able to walk.” Chloe looks out towards the sidewalk by the street. “She practically almost walk into our car.”

_Damn Maxine..._

Rachel leans in closer to Maxine, gently squeezing and rubbing her shoulders of her dark blue top. She glances around the truck bed for anything else to note. The brunette is lying on top of a big gray sweater, which is probably a spare one from Chloe. But she is missing her gray jacket. There were goosebumps all over her arms. “Did she say anything?” Rachel takes off her dark blue plaid jacket, wrapping her best friend, as much as she can with her light jacket.

Chloe leans closer to Maxine to give her some warmth as well, shielding her from the brisk wind of the night. “When we grabbed her, she said ‘Help’.”

Rachel looks over with a hint of puzzlement and concern, as Chloe continues. “We thought she was being chased, but there were no one else around. When we sat her down, we were about to call the police. She immediately said, ‘No’. She seemed very insistent about not going to the police, no matter how much my dad pushed for it. Maybe she was just scared.” Maxine is too scared to see her parents, so probably afraid the police may contact them. Rachel definitely do not want to see Maxine’s parents, as they will murder her.

Rachel murmurs under her breath, “Fucking Nathan...” Chloe looks over at moody blonde, confused about the quiet remark she made. The blonde continues, “That asshole needs to die.”

A little startled with Rachel’s threat, Chloe inquires. “Is that her boyfriend?”

Rachel instantly shoot down the question. “Fuck no!” She begins rubbing her forehead, as her headache from earlier beginning to come back. She lets out a low groan, as the sudden blood rush may have aggravated the headache.

Even after such a serious conversation, Chloe cannot help but notice the obvious jealous tone in Rachel’s voice. Chloe gives a mischievous glance at the distressed blonde, thinking of a way to take advantage of the situation. Then a smile emerges from her face, trying to lighten up the mood. “So, are you her girlfriend?”

Rachel gives a sharp look at Chloe, causing her to repel back slightly. She holds both hands up signaling she is kidding about the question. Rachel looks away, not wanting to say anything more. Chloe’s eyes widen, seeing the result of her teasing has done to the offended blonde. “You’re blushing,” Chloe says nonchalantly. Rachel’s face quickly weakens as her face begins to feel warm. Well, now she is definitely blushing now. Chloe smiles and shrugs her shoulder, like it is no big deal. She blinks one of her eyes, and smirks at Rachel. “You can give her a kiss. Maybe she’ll wake up to her charming princess.”

Rachel bites her lips and gives the teasing blonde, the middle finger. Not out of anger, just that Rachel is at a loss for words against the assault of mockery.

_Who does this girl think she is?_

Chloe grins back, knowing she got the poor blonde where she wants her to be, “Did I offend you? Are you more into kissing? Or you rather go cop a feel?” She raises both her hands, squeezing them in the air. Then she imitates in the most obnoxious Austrian Arnold voice. “Get to the copper!”. She follows with a soft scoff of embarrassment. “Sorry, I am a damn dork. Just trying to lighten the mood.”

That was bad. So bad that Rachel tries to hold her laughter in, but she couldn’t, letting out a forced deep chuckle. She looks away squeezing her nose bridge with her fingers, trying to calm down. “So you weren’t at the party?” Changing the subject to reset the conversation.

Chloe pouts her lips, shaking her head. “Nah, I’m not very cool around here.”

Rachel releases her nose and looks back at her. “Where are you from?”.

Chloe slides a little forward towards Maxine, and sit back down firmly. “Actually, I grew up and live here. I graduated college this past summer.” Hearing those words, strikes Rachel with some more enviousness. She is already admiring Chloe for how pretty she is, and her charming personality. Her and Maxine never went to college, and probably never will.

Rachel chuckles sarcastically. “You’re one of the girl that have everything laid out for them on a silver platter, huh?” It is a bit rude to say it like that.

Chloe studies the blonde's expression carefully. “I do. Quite a bit.” She turns to the side, resting her elbow on the side of the truck bed. “My parents put up a lot of my shit. They worked very hard to make my life great. I’m very thankful for them.”

Rachel nods in agreement. Chloe seems like a humble person, not someone with a huge ego that puts down people. “That’s good.”

Chloe scratches her arm nervously. Her eyes dips down a little, knowing she could offend Rachel. “What…” Chloe licks her upper lips. “Are you okay with your parents?”

Rachel zones out at the dark color of the truck bed, at the question. She shakes her head, remaining in silence instead of replying.

Chloe senses the answer out of the blonde's posture, giving a soft nod. “I see.” She shifts her body closer to Rachel, and reaches over and pats her shoulder.

Normally, Rachel doesn’t like anyone touching her like that, other than Maxine. But for some reason, she welcomes Chloe’s warm touch.

Chloe looks at sleeping brunette, then back to Rachel. “I take it in your life...She is the one that helps with getting your day going, huh?”

Rachel’s voice is barely audible. “Yes, she does.” She looks down in shame. Unfortunately, the feelings is probably not mutual.

Chloe looks at Rachel’s not-very-confident face. “You know...before she passed out... Ugh. Good thing she remembered how to unlock her phone for us.” She gently rubs Rachel's shoulder to ease her tension a little bit. “She asked for you.” Chloe gently presses Rachel’s chin up, so they face eye-to-eye. “So you definitely mean something to her.” She looks onto Rachel with her bold light blue eyes.

They barely know each other but they just click so much. She knows how to say the right thing. And Rachel really needs that confirmation. Rachel blushes being that up close to Chloe. “But look at her now, I couldn’t be there for her.”

Chloe murmurs. “You are here now.”

Rachel recoils slightly, shrugging her body, “You don’t get me, Chloe. I’m not a good person.”

Chloe shakes her head, “There is no way you can be by her side all the time.”

Rachel falls back all the way, resting on her back. She interlocks her fingers, placing it behind her head. “She's always there for me. And I take advantage of it. But I’m not always there for her." She lets out a long sigh. "I ruined her life.”

Chloe takes a moment to digest. “I guessing that I’m missing more of the big picture, huh? You can talk to me about it, but I don’t blame you, if you don’t want to.”

Rachel’s eyes narrow, “Nah, I don’t really want to talk about it.”

Chloe nods, and leans over to Rachel, hovering above her. The blonde looks back, “Well, just know both of you are alive. You cannot dwell on the things you done wrong in the past all the time. But you can always make things right in the future. I can help you guys too.”

Rachel can care much less to anyone's else damn problems. But Chloe is a very friendly and open person. Her comforting aura, eases the mind as Rachel smiles and nods back. There is a brief pause as the blonde ponders about it. There is always a chance to make a better tomorrow. “Thanks Chloe, for saying that.”

Chloe grins back, “You have a beautiful smile. You should do it more.”

Rachel's smile quickly disappears, purposely making a bitchy face, “I don’t smile that much.”

Chloe comes closer, winking her eyes, “It’s a shame. You would look even hotter.”

Rachel rolls her eyes, “I bet stuffs like this don’t happen to you.”

Chloe's eyes widen, her eyebrows arching up, "Being called hot? Nah, not really."

Rachel squeezes her eyes. "Not that- Okay, now I find that hard to believe." She lets out a smile, and as the other blonde returns back with a sunny smile. "But I mean did you ever have a friend that you...neglected or let down?"

Chloe leans back all the way, “Yeah. I didn’t really get a second chance with my friend. Or I guess, I got like...fifty chances, but I didn’t even try a single time.”

Chloe seems such a carefree child, what could she have done that is wrong? Rachel pulls herself up, sitting on her butt again, giving a nervous scratch to her sides. “What happened?”

Chloe crosses her arm. “I had a pretty good friend. Her name is Dana. We went to Blackwell Academy together. Then after that, I went to Portland State University. She was definitely more into partying than I am, as she always asked me to hang out. I’m just too big of a geek. One time, she asked me to go to a party. But being the jerk I am, I flaked on her.”

Rachel sits up right completely, crossing her legs. She thinks back about Maxine asking her to go to this party, but her hatred of Nathan and shyness got to her.

Chloe continues, “She went to the party, and afterwards, she went missing.”

Rachel looks down. “There’s…” She stops. “I see. I was going to say, there’s no way you could have known. But that is pretty much the same advice you’re telling me and I’m also ignoring.”

Chloe smiles. “Yeah. We both beat ourselves up over the same things. I’m glad your friend is fine, though. I know I don't know your friend...But I want to be there for her, you know?” She turns to Maxine, observing her face. “And that she's extra hot.” She looks up at Rachel. She squeaks like a mouse, “Don’t hit me.”

Rachel laughs. “I won’t hit you.” Chloe gives a soft smile. Rachel doesn't seem to be very obsessive or protective of Maxine with Chloe. Maxine, tends to attract some bad people, so to see someone like Chloe is refreshing to Rachel.

A black car screams through the street that draws both of their attention. It looks like it driven by some expensive snob, that is trying to show off everyone at 2 AM, how much money they spent on their car.

Chloe looks back down at Maxine, still laying on her sides. She could use some more support. Chloe reaches under her sweater, gripping the bottom band of it. Rachel continues staring straight towards the street, but in the corner of her eye, she can see Chloe’s body.

Chloe pulls the sweater up to her neck area. She is probably struggling with it briefly, or don’t want to mess up her long hair too much. Rachel tilts her head slightly and continue to look at the corner of her eyes for a few glances of Chloe’s body. She is wearing a dark green shirt that is a bit tight. Hugging the bumps on her chest.

Chloe finally shrugs off and takes off her over sized sweater. Rachel’s eyes flutter slowly. A warm groan slips out of her throat, that she did not mean to let out. She quickly grasping her mouth in embarrassment. _Okay, try not to announce the world that you are aroused. Okay Rachel, time to yawn, and pretend you're tired._

Chloe playfully tosses her sweater at Rachel’s head interrupting her train of perverted thoughts. Rachel startles and straighten up her body. Chloe has a mischievous grin, mouthing ‘tsk’ ‘tsk' ‘tsk’. She reaches her hand up, signaling Rachel to throw the sweater back at her. “I wasn’t aiming for your head, by the way.” Her eyes dips down below Rachel's neck.

Rachel slams the sweater back at her. Chloe grins, rolling the sweater into a ball and slipping it behind Maxine, to support her.

Rachel smiles back at Chloe. Confidence was brewing inside Rachel, as she starting to understand Chloe’s humor and personality. Something about Chloe that radiates a more positive energy onto Rachel. “I don’t want to be caught by your dad. So I figured I take a eyeful now.”

"I don't know, it looked like you wanted a mouthful to me." Rachel bursts out with a cute giggle. Chloe smiles and brushes her long hair with her fingers, “I’m sure my dad will be cool with it. If he was my age, he’ll be like, ‘Fuck yes, I would totally dig this Rachel.’”

Chloe can say some of the most awkward things, yet she doesn’t care. She seems like the person that doesn’t take life too seriously. Rachel hides her face behind her hands. She is laughing so hard that she is tearing up. As silly as these teases were, Rachel welcomes it.

Chloe’s body came close to Rachel, who is still covering her face. She begins gently brushing the Rachel’s blue jay earring on her right ear.

Rachel didn’t mind at all, her heart feels warm. She can feel Chloe’s warm breath onto her face. There is a little moment of pause as Chloe continues to play the earrings, like a kitten with a ball of yarn.

Chloe finally stops brushing the earring, “I like this earring. Is it a blue jay?”

Rachel nods her head, biting her lips. “Yeah it is.”

Chloe finally turns her focus from the earring and towards Rachel, “Is there a special meaning to this earring?”

Rachel looks down nervously and running her finger over her jeans, like she is drawing something. “Yeah there is.” Rachel looks away for a bit and back to Chloe. Chloe is waiting patiently for Rachel to continue. “My dad.”

Chloe’s eyes opens wider. “Oh I see. Did he get you this?”

Rachel scans her eyes left and right. “No.” She looks back up at Chloe. “I found it where my dad died when I was younger."

Chloe turns into a frown. “Oh no he passed away?” She pouts her lips.

Rachel continues, "I always thought my dad’s spirit is in it, watching over me.” She says that with pure regret. Her eyes focus on Chloe's facial expression, "But of course, I don't believe that anymore." Rachel eyes shoots back down to her lap.

Rachel's fingers begin to tremble after saying that lie. She didn't want Chloe to think she is weird. But she didn't do a good job of hiding it, as tears emerge from her eyes.

Chloe places both of her hands on top of Rachel’s hands. She smiles. “Keep him close to your heart.” Chloe senses that earring meant a lot to Rachel than she is making it out to be. “And if anyone tell you otherwise, tell them to ‘Fuck off’.”

Rachel's lips begins to shiver as she looks down at Chloe's hands that is gently rubbing hers'. "Chloe..." She looks up at Chloe's sympathetic eyes and lets out a soft puff of air. "How do you always say the right things, that someone wants to hear?"

Chloe can feel Rachel's hands still shaking. Her face comes closer to Rachel. "It nothing special..." Her eyes looks away, feeling tense and thinking about what to say next. "I just think you're a nice person." 

Rachel looks deeply into Chloe’s eyes. Their faces were only inches apart from each other, as they both can feel each other’s warm breath. For once, she knows how it feels to be finally accepted by someone, that isn't Maxine. It is a great feeling.

Rachel gently tugs Chloe’s hands towards her, this causes Chloe’s body to topples slightly and their foreheads gently brushes into each other.

Chloe’s eyes glances to the side nervously, then straight back with confident. Rachel’s eyes were focus on Chloe the entire time. Their breathing became heavier. Chloe begins to close her eyes, and lifting her chin to come closer. Rachel’s eyes drifts to the side, getting a glimpse of Maxine.

_Shit! Get a grip, Rachel! You just met this girl!_

Rachel pushes Chloe back, almost causing her to stumble backwards completely. 

Chloe’s bites her lower lip, nodding slightly with disappointed eyes. “I’m sorry.” She dust off her shirt nervously. She directs her attention away quickly from Rachel, by looking at Maxine.

Rachel puts her face into her hands. _Shit. I didn’t mean to do that._

Chloe isn't paying attention to Rachel, as she creeps closer to Maxine. She takes off the Rachel's plaid jacket on her, and begins to rub the back of Maxine’s top, like she is examining her.

Rachel sees Chloe doing this, through the gaps in her fingers. “I’m sorry Chloe.”

Chloe looks up from Maxine, with a confused look. “Umm...Rachel? I don’t know how to say this. But maybe you know this more.” Her body straightens up and slowly turn to Rachel.

Rachel takes her head away from her fingers, sensing the seriousness in Chloe’s tone. Still not fully sure, if she is upset about what just happened. “Yes?”

Chloe’s eyes drifts quickly to Maxine, and back. “This sounds funny, but I just noticed she doesn’t have a bra on.” She hesitates for a moment, because that came out awkwardly. Even though there isn't really a better way to say it. “Do you know if she normally...” Chloe’s throat is feeling thick to even finish that sentence.

Rachel’s mouth drops open, that she covers it with both of her hands. _Did she get raped? Fuck! Why didn’t that occur to me?_

All of a sudden, a series of gunshots roars in the background of the night.

Chloe and Rachel both immediately spring backwards from the sudden loud noise. Chloe pulls herself up leaning over the side of the truck, looking towards the dark alleyway. “Dad?!?” She gives a frightened glance at Rachel, then back at the alleyway. She climbs over the side of the truck and leaps off it, and landing with a dash towards the alleyway.

Rachel runs her hand on the back of Maxine, making sure the sweater is still supporting her back. “Maxine, I'll check up on you later. I’ll be right back.” Rachel climbs on her feet and follow right after Chloe.

They both were sprinting through a series of alleyways to what seem to be the source of the gunshot. Chloe is a good thirty feet ahead of Rachel. They were both gasping hard for air, as their lungs cannot keep up with their speed. They turn around the corner and see a body on the floor right by the street, illuminated by what seems to be a car’s headlights.

“DAD!!!!” Chloe screams turning into a sad whine, dashing towards the bloodied body of her father. Chloe throws her arms around his corpse. “DADDY?!?” There were blood all over his body, he was shot many times.

Then a gunshot break the silence of the night again, striking Chloe in her chest.

Chloe’s body flops backward, releasing her grips from her father, crashing into the ground. Rachel’s covers her mouth in shocked, completely stopping in her track, causing her to slip and fall into the ground. Chloe grasps at her chest, coughing a few times. She rolls to face towards the direction of Rachel, with blood dripping off her mouth. She shakes her head subtly, mouthing ‘Run Away’ quietly.

Then another bullet strikes Chloe in her temple, as her head drapes to the side with her eyes left opened. Blood slowly drips out of the bullet hole from her head and more out of her mouth.

Rachel reaches her hand towards Chloe, “NOOO!!!!” 

Suddenly, what sounds like a whirling train rings into her ears as the sound of the world became muffled. It seems like the world has come to a complete pause, but not too sure since there isn’t much movement around here to begin with. Chloe’s lifeless facial expression along besides the corpse of her father. Rachel can see faintly, a drip of blood coming out of Chloe’s mouth, dangling and frozen in air, defying gravity.

_Did the world really stop?_

Rachel’s attention turns back up to the illuminated body of their corpses. Around the corner, is where the murderer shot them both.

 _Chloe!_ _She is dead! So is her dad. Their killer is around the corner._

There is no way to save her now. Rachel’s body begin to tremble and her breath became heavy. She whimpers of what is going to come around the corner.

However, Rachel is able to move, unlike everything else in the world is an inanimate object. She shakes her arm in disbelief that this is all happening. 

_Is this real? This can’t be what people mean when they say their life flash before their eyes._

Rachel looks back towards Chloe. She is too afraid to approach their bodies. She wants to take a glimpse of their murderers but who knows how long this paused world will continue, as she can suffer the same fate as those two.

_I’m sorry Chloe. I didn’t mean to do the things I did to you. I’ve only met you for a little bit, but I can see you’re an amazing person. It should have been me with a bullet in my head, not you… You and your father have done nothing to deserve this._

A glowing blue butterfly appears out of nowhere, flying over Chloe, her father, and Rachel. It is heading back the way they came, towards the parking lot.

_That butterfly? It can move? It is the only thing that can move, besides me._

Ghostly voices begins echoing all around the alleyway. Rachel looks around in horror, then she closes her eyes and covers her ears. That didn’t do much as Rachel can still hear them in her mind, but not enough to understand it. It doesn’t sound like words, at least words she knows. It maybe sounds almost like a chant. She can senses the voices creeping close occasionally, as cold puffs of air presses against the skin of her face.

_This again…I'm hearing voices and seeing figures like back then. Hasn't happened much lately, so why now?_

Rachel opens her eyes and the voices are all gone. She looks back and sees the butterfly still flying, already quite some distance away from Rachel. There is nothing left to do. Rachel starts sprinting her way back, following the butterfly. Crying and frantically running as fast as she can, she lifts her legs as high and far as she can, running after the butterfly. Afraid the opportunity to escape, or whatever this time-stop phenomenon will end.

She finally gets back to the parking lot, with the butterfly landing towards the pick up truck. Rachel hops up on the truck bed, and sees the butterfly resting on the side of the truck, facing towards Maxine’s. She haven’t moved an inch and is in the same position she was in before.

Rachel steadily approaches the butterfly, as it flutters its blue wings. It feels like it was calling to Rachel, like telling her something. Or maybe trying to tell something to Maxine. Rachel keeps a certain distance from the butterfly, afraid she will scare it away.

Rachel’s curious eyes turns away towards Maxine and she lays low in the truck bed, as if she is hiding from the gunmen when they show up. She crawls towards Maxine and touches her body. She is real. This is real. She isn’t moving but it as if she is a mannequin.

“What is happening?” Rachel cries into Maxine’s shoulder. “Chloe is dead. Now I’m next.” Rachel continues to sob into Maxine. She is not sure what is going on. Maybe it is the higher beings giving her one last chance to be with Maxine. “I’m so sorry for everything.” She lifts her head and leans over Maxine’s body to get a view of her unconscious face.

She places her head into side of Maxine’s and continue to cry into her. “I know you’re going to be happy without me here.” She always knew Maxine has much more potential in her life. She has a very good heart and friendly to others. But she always been bending backward to support Rachel. “I’m just scared. I don’t ever want to be alone.” She lifts her head from her body and gives her one last look. “But more importantly, I don’t want you to be alone.” She pushes herself up and away from Maxine’s body. She looks towards the dark alleyway, “Maybe, I can lure them somewhere else, so you are safe.”

Rachel falls backward into a kneel position. The world is still in a stopped slideshow. She looks over at the butterfly, who is still resting but animated. 

_Are you trying to tell me something? You just want me to say my ‘Goodbye’ to this fucked up world?_

She tilts her head up, looking at the sky. “You can take me next.” Rachel never believed in a higher being, but she is looking up there as if someone or something is there. “You already took my father. And now Chloe, and her father. You want my life? Then fucking take it!” Her tone becomes filled with venom. She hated everything about this world. Maxine gets drugged, and possibly raped. And a very kind person and her father gets murdered. _If I was God, I will burn this fucking world._

Suddenly a distortion appears right in front of Rachel. She looks up with a confused look but intrigued look. It must be about ten feet long, but there is an image in it. As if it was a projection screen in it. Was someone responding to her?

Rachel looks in it, and she can see herself, Chloe and Maxine in it in the truck bed in this very same parking lot. This looks like it could have been few minutes ago, before her and Chloe ran to investigate the noise.

Rachel’s eyes turns to her corner, seeing the butterfly who is still resting. It looks like it facing her now, watching her.

_Can I go in it? Well, there isn’t anywhere left to go._

Rachel’s attention turn back to the portal, reaching into it, like it is an opened window.

She takes a deep breath and drag her entire body in it.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Parking Lot on 1st and Stillwell Avenue

#### August 24th, 2016 2:18 AM

Rachel glances around, observing her surroundings. Everything looks identical, except she sees herself and Chloe as well. Rachel leans back, observing her other self is sitting close with Chloe, both with a delightful smile.

_Shit, that is how I looked when I’m smiling? I looked very genuinely happy. I really was crushing on Chloe..._

Rachel looks down, thinking back about how she pushed back Chloe, when she was moving in for a kiss.

_I really led her on, too. Damn, I really made a mistake._

She comes closer in front of her other self, waves her hand around like a maniac. Hoping maybe she can get a reaction, but nothing happen. Everything is still frozen in time.

_What is all this? Did I jump into an old memory? Or did I go back in time?_

Rachel gets a closer look, and all of sudden, that familiar train ringing sound came back and it seems the time-stop ended and everything starts moving.

Chloe begins talking, “I’m sure my dad will be cool with it. If he was my age, he’ll be like, ‘Fuck yes, I would totally dig this Rachel.’”

Rachel looks around shocked, totally surprised everything is moving again. She jumps in front of Chloe, waving around. “Hey Chloe!!!!” She shouts in a desperate tone. But Chloe did not look at her at all, if she is a ghost. “Please…” Rachel's throat became thick, her voice is barely comprehensible. “You’re going to die.”

The other Rachel begins laughing, and hiding her face behind her hands. Chloe begins to lean in close, brushing the earring. “I like this earring. Is it a blue jay?” None of them were acknowledging her at all.

_They can’t see me._

The other Rachel calmly replies, “Yeah it is”.

Rachel turns to look at herself. “Shit, the gunshot is coming!” She reaches her right hand at her, and the same train ringing sound appears again. Then all of the sudden, they move in a very fast, inhuman speed. Almost as if someone hit the fast forward button, or maybe it’s rewind? But now, everything is frozen again like before.

Rachel looks at her hand, she can actually feel something now. It feels like she is emitting some energy or maybe capturing some unknown energy. She gently relaxes her hand. Time begins to flow forward.

“I’m sure my dad will be cool with it. If he was my age, he’ll be like, ‘Fuck yes, I would totally dig this Rachel.’”

Rachel grips her hand again, and like before it looks like she rewind everything again and stopped time. She stares at her hand. _Holy shit! I can rewind time? Is this real?_ She looks back up at her surrounding. _This seems like the furthest I can rewind, though._

Rachel looks at her other self and slowly approach up to her. There seems to be another energy radiating from her. She holds out her arm and reach for the shoulder of the other Rachel. Her own nose begins to bleed very heavily.

She quickly pinches her nose to catch the blood, and then she checks her hand. There isn’t any blood. Nothing. It really did feel like a gush of blood spilled out her nose. She felt the red moisture in her fingers just a moment ago. She looks around in realize that the other Rachel is gone.

_Wait...What the fuck is going on?!? Did I just go into the other Rachel? I feel like I’m in control._

“I’m sure my dad will be cool with it. If he was my age, he’ll be like, ‘Fuuuuuu’---Okay why you looking at me like that?” Chloe tilts her head slightly, concerned with Rachel’s abrupt emotion change. _This is not a dream, right?_

“Chloe, you can see me?!?” Rachel’s fingers begin to twitch uncontrollably. Her eyes flickers with combination of shock and happiness. 

Chloe’s eyebrow raised slightly. “Yes…?” she replies in a confused tone.

“Chloe!!!”, Rachel makes a swift pounces on top of Chloe. The impact knocks the wind out of both blondes, and they groan in pain from it.

Chloe coughs from the impact of the full weight of Rachel onto her smaller body, “Holy shit, Rachel.”

Rachel pushes herself slightly off Chloe’s body. Her bangs were rubbing against Chloe’s forehead as they were inches away from each other's face. Rachel’s eyes were in tears. “Chloe…” _She was just murdered, but...is she really back?_ “Chloe...” Rachel’s eyes were scanning Chloe’s face many times over, and her lips were trembling in excitement.

Chloe’s wary eyes continue to look back at the frightened Rachel. She is confused but couldn’t help but blush. “Hey…”, she reaches out and caressing her bangs, and then the side of her head, relaxing her.

Rachel thinks about just what happened earlier on in this situation. She gave Chloe mixed message, and then shoved her away. _I’m sorry._ Chloe’s apology from the past echoes into Rachel’s mind. Maybe it is best for Rachel to not lead her on anymore. But she cannot contain her emotions. More tears pour out the corner of Rachel’s eyes, thinking how these were Chloe’s last moments. She did not deserve to die. Her and her father both saved Maxine.

Rachel lowers herself slowly, gently falling on top of her. She slips her hands underneath Chloe's, gripping her back. She dips her head in closer, giving her repeated pecks on her cheeks, each one becoming more and more affectionate. Even though they only met for a little while, at the same time feels like they went through a lot with that whole time stop experience. It is like seeing an old friend come back to life. Rachel didn’t care about anything else anymore.

Chloe slightly shocked with Rachel’s action but then, embraces it. She wraps her arms around her body, holding her tight.

Chloe tilts her chin up, letting Rachel’s face slides down to her neck. Rachel continues to press open mouthed kisses down from Chloe's jaw, to all around her neck. “Jesus Rachel…” Chloe moans softly, as she pulls the back of Rachel’s ponytail into her face, telling her to keep going, without words. Chloe wants to kiss Rachel back, but she could not lower her chin back down to do it, with Rachel's pinning her down with her tongue. Rachel twists her head in, brushing her nose at Chloe's chin, and she runs her tongue along her jawbone. This sends a chill into Chloe's body, causing her to curl her toes and arch her back. She lowers her grip on Rachel's hair, down to the back of her neck, pulling it in. Chloe is barely able to whisper into Rachel's ears, with her trembling throat. "Don't stop." Chloe slides her free hand to grip onto the smooth curves of Rachel's hips, then to her waist, then to the side of Rachel's chest. She runs her index finger, along the band of her bra through her shirt, trying to slip her finger underneath the elastic part. Then she slides in more to caress Rachel's chest.

Rachel flinches and stops immediately with a shocked expression, pushing herself all the way up to her knees to look around. “No…”

Chloe’s upper body recoils upward, slurping some saliva that came out of her mouth unknowingly, and she quickly cover her mouth in embarrassment. Her wide eyes turns towards Rachel in horror. She squeaks, “Record scratch. I shouldn’t have done that, huh?” She pushes herself up from the truck bed. She brings her knees in, pressing her chest into it and wrapping her arms around it, like a ball. She begins to rock back and forth nervously.

Rachel continues to look around the surroundings. “No, not talking about that.” She whimpers and cowering about the impending doom. _Shit, there nothing I can do. They have guns._

Rachel reaches out her hand and grip the air. The time freezes, but so much energy is being used, and she can’t even move an inch or even move her eyes.

Rachel releases her hand, allowing time to flow. She turns to Chloe and tries again. Time freezes again, but she still can’t even move. It almost like she looking out her body through her mind’s eye, if even such a thing exists. She releases her hand. “Shit, I don’t know what to do. Something bad is going to happen..”

Chloe looks back with raised eyebrow and a not-very-amused face. “Listen, if you want a payback grope. You can have as much of that as you want. Just don't do your-” Chloe squints her eyes, and points her finger at Rachel’s raised hand. “whatever Cop-A-Feel in the air, Tai Chi shit again. You're scaring me.” It must look very weird to Chloe, when Rachel is going around, reaching her hand out, not knowing she is actually freezing time.

Rachel shakes her head. “Chloe this isn’t good.”

Chloe’s face became more serious. “Hey, are you okay?”

 _Can I save her?_ Rachel looks over at Chloe with a frown. _She does not deserve this._

Instead, something else happens. Maxine begins coughing. She is hacking very hard, grasping her chest. Rachel is stunned with this, since this is completely unexpected. I guess she has already been changing the future by not shoving Chloe away.

_This is different, this didn’t happen._

Uncertain what to do in this situation, Chloe lifts Maxine up, so she is sitting upright. 

Like deja vu, a series of gunshots again break the calm night of the city.

Chloe looks back immediately, still holding onto Maxine. “Shit! Rachel, can you please hold Maxine up like this?” Rachel sits down right besides Chloe, grabbing Maxine.

Chloe releases Maxine onto Rachel. “I’ll be right back. I need to check it out and make sure my dad is alright.” She gets up on her feet and proceeds to hop off the truck bed.

_Shit, no!_

Rachel with her other hand, grabs on to Chloe’s arm. The force of Chloe’s momentum, causes Rachel to fall backward, with Maxine's body landing on top of her, causing her to cough even more.

Chloe looks over her shoulder. “What are you doing? Keep her upright, she going to choke. Let go of me.”

Rachel begins crying. “No Chloe, I can’t let go of you. Please you can’t go. You’re going to get shot.”

Chloe takes her warning lightly. “I’ll be careful. I have to make sure my dad is alright.” She shrugs Rachel with force, causing her to release her grip and fall back on to the truck bed, and Maxine to fall on her side. Chloe gives one last look back, “Take care of her.” Her words echoes deep into Rachel’s spine. She is saying her farewell.

“No! Get back”, Rachel tries to pull herself up while holding onto Maxine.

Maxine shrugs away from Rachel. She stops coughing. “I’m fine...go stop her.”.

Rachel looks at Maxine, who is hunched over and breathing has stabilized. And she is able to keep herself up.

“Maxine!...I’ll be right back.” Rachel hops up and dash as fast as she can after Chloe, who already have a head start and out of sight.

Rachel desperately screams out loud as she can. “Chloe! Please stop! I beg of you!” She has never shouted this loud before in her life. She turns the corner and sees Chloe. She is about half way into the alleyway, hunched over and huffing and puffing. She stopped after hearing Rachel's agonizing screams.

“Rachel…” She slows down to catch her breath. “Go back to Maxine…” She waves Rachel in an irritable way, to scoot her away.

Rachel runs up to her quickly and wraps her arms around her. “She is alright. But you’re not…” Rachel’s heavy puff of breath pushes against Chloe’s neck.

“Rachel, I need to go check. It’s my dad!” Chloe bites her lower lips, trying to shove Rachel away. But Rachel snaps back, actually headbutting her but with mild amount of force. She presses even closer to her.

“Stop it Chloe. He’s already dead. You will be too, if you go to him.” Rachel says it in a firm voice, but deep down inside she is cursing herself internally for saying that. 

The color drains from Chloe’s face, after hearing Rachel’s words. Her eyebrow lowers and her lips thin to a line. “...how could you say something like that?”

There is no going back, now. Rachel mutters under her warm breath. “I just had a vision, Chloe...” Rachel couldn’t follow up to her sentence, as she is at a loss for words. She squeezes Chloe closer, and press the side of her face into her’s.

There is no reason for Chloe to believe Rachel's words. But hearing that is very demoralizing, given the circumstances. Sorrow slowly fills into Chloe. She gives a pitiful attempt to shove Rachel asides, digging her nails into the back of Rachel’s neck. Her strength is dwindling down from the grief filling her, and Rachel’s tight grip. Chloe turns her face slightly towards Rachel, whose face still pressed against hers. “You’re messed up,” she says in a mixture tone of despair and anger. Rachel gently nods her head in agreement. Chloe squeezes her eyes tight, as tears drip down her face. “I can’t leave him… all alone.”

She presses her head even closer into Rachel’s. Her body is becoming off balanced but Rachel continues to hold onto her body more firmly.

Cars screeches away in the distant from where the gunshots appear to come from. We will never find out who the murderers are. But we are safe, for now. Rachel says softly to her ears, “You will be fine.”

_No, you won’t be fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Okay, this was way more difficult to write. Due to the length and elements in it. The introduction of the power, and Chloe as well. I wanted to Chloe to be a somewhat familiar to the Alternate Timeline/Original Timeline that everyone loves. There is a variety of tone/emotions in this chapter, so that was a challenge for me to write.
> 
> I messed up with the dates from my notes. It supposed to be August, I previously had September. :D
> 
> I did manyyyy revisions to this chapter. It started out very simple chapter, but evolved to much more. The conversation between Chloe and Rachel was originally much less friendly, but I wasn't too content with it. I like how this turned out way more. I really wanted to show a lighter side of Rachel too. The 'time power' sequences was easier to visualize but I had some trouble putting it in words. The number of the revisions combined with the length made it very lengthy to proof read it. I need a little break to recollect my thoughts for next chapter haha.
> 
> Next chapter is going back to original timeline though.


	4. It Will Bring Us Apart

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay Police Station

#### October 13th, 2013 4:43 PM

The afternoon rays seeps through the blinds to be washed out by the cold fluorescent lighting of the police station. Max and Kate is sitting on a bench in the somberness hallway. The police has not shown Max the bodies yet, but the identification cards on their body confirms it is her parents. Max’s eyes were puffy and exhausted from this entire afternoon. Now, she is waiting patiently to be called up to see the bodies of her parents. She lost her best friend, and now her parents are gone as well. To lose just about everything that mattered to you in a span of little over a week.

When her mother texted Max at 7:46 AM, both of their parents were driving in their car with a smile on their face, with joy and hope marking the start of a wonderful week with their only daughter. Then the one that Max called at 12:38 PM, the one that went straight to the voice mail. She called it, when her mom's phone was being placed in the collection bag in the paramedic vehicle, right next to the body bags of her mother and father.

The thought about it is terrifying, when you think about it that way.

Max’s parents actually made quite a bit of progress getting to Arcadia Bay, the traffic must have cleared up. They were around 40 miles away from Arcadia Bay before the accident happened near Cannon Beach.

Max cannot look at her phone right now without a chill of fear, in her spine. The call at 12:38 PM will forever remind her about her parent’s death. And what about those calls that Max received? Were they real? Was she hearing the spirits of her parents talking to her? Or perhaps, Max’s power has evolved to some unknown magnitude.

Max reaches into her a bag, shuffling around the contents inside it, then finally pull out a photo. It is the photo of the blue butterfly that she took in the restroom, right before Chloe’s death. Max gives an empty stare into the picture, but carefully shifting her eyes to the side to avoid focusing too much, and actually jumping into the photo and reliving that terrible experience again. Ironically, the photo is also the chance to remove all the pain in her world at the same time.

Kate shifts her attention to Max, leaning closer to her, draping her dark blue cardigan onto her. She examines the picture Max is holding and looks back, observing her facial expression. Kate recognize it is the photo that Max took right before Chloe’s death.

Max grips on the photo tightly, and leans back to looks up to the ceiling biting her lower lips to avoid accidentally dropping any tears onto the picture.

Kate leans her head onto Max’s shoulder, and wraps her arm around her. “Max, there was nothing you can do.” Kate knows her words doesn’t have any effect on Max. It didn’t earlier, but she continues. “Nathan had a gun, and they also believed he was under the influence, as well.”

Max tilts her head, pressing her face into Kate’s hair bun, rubbing off some of the lingering drop of tears in the corner of her eyes. “Kate, this photo was only taken over a week ago. Chloe, and my parents were alive-” Max’s voice cracks, causing her to end her sentence prematurely. Kate can feel the despair and emptiness in Max’s body. “I wish I can go back to that moment,” she says slowly, “That moment… and somehow change something.” Max manages to finish before stuttering in her own breath. _I feel like I’m about to have a mental collapse. I really need to tell someone...maybe...Kate? Will she believe me?_

The uncomfortable silence is broken by the vibration coming from Kate’s phone, easing the tension briefly. She reaches over to the side, and brings it to her lap. “Sorry, I need to check this Max.”

Max lifts her head slowly from Kate’s hair, causing a few locks of hair to break off from her bun. “It’s fine.” She sniffs to clear her nose.

Kate opens her phone to see that she received a new text message.

> **Mom:** “The pastor just called me and told me about this video. You have brought shame to our family. We’ll pray for you and expect you to pray for forgiveness.” (4:38 PM)

Kate shuts off the phone, dipping her head down. She was going to hide the phone away but she sees Max already saw it before she could turn it off. “The video? Kate...How did it get uploaded?”

Kate’s voice is barely audible. “I have no idea.” Kate knows Max cares for her very much, and didn’t want to put anymore stress than she already has.

“Did Victoria do this?” says Max, the abrupt anger briefly removes the sadness in her tone. _She did do it in the other timeline. Even though Jefferson and Nathan is arrested now, would she sink to such low level?_

Kate brushes her nose. “I don’t know. Max, please don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

 _“Max, I’m living in a nightmare and I can’t wake up.”_ Kate’s words from that other timeline sends cold chills into Max. She was able to save Kate, but only by using her power. Could using her power, create another storm? Chloe is dead, so is her parents. She cannot let Kate follow them.

A set of footsteps approach them, causing them to both look up to see a police officer holding a folder full of documents. “Miss Caulfield? I’m Officer Berry.”

Max gives a slow nod, not quite ready to hear what the police officer is going to say next.

The officer responds back with a nod. “I’m sorry for your loss. We have fully recovered the car wreckage from the highway and currently investigating with the local authority in the city of Cannon Beach. In a few minutes, their bodies will be ready for viewing. You can choose to opt out, if you want.”

Max shakes her head without changing much facial expression. “I’ll go see them.” She puts the photo of the blue butterfly back safely into her bag. _Though I'm not entirely sure, if I can do this…_

The officer looks back at Max with a sigh, almost wanting Max to opt out. He, then turns to walks away.

Kate lowers her head, fidgeting on her phone. “Max, I haven’t told anyone about...any of this. I’m the only one that knows. Not sure if anyone looks or read the news.”

Max responds nonchalantly. “It’s fine. I don’t want too many people knowing about this.”

Kate nods calmly and reaches over to bring her bag onto her lap, and begins playing with the strap of the bag. “I have the...abstinence stand tomorrow.” She says it with almost a hint of shame in her voice. Max looks over at Kate, sensing the lack of enthusiasm in her tone. “I’ve been trying to ignore everything that happened...umm, last week. And be closer with my faith.” She shakes her head in disappointment. “But this video…”

Max looks down, scratching her arm nervously. She knows things are going to go south. She’s just hoping people are more sympathetic with Nathan drugging her and being abused by Mark Jefferson. But there is going to be assholes and bullies like Logan or Zachary, bent on putting people down. “What time are you doing the stand?”

Kate looks up at the clock right ahead of them, “At 10 in the morning, it is in the Blackwell Hallway.” She looks over at Max. “I know you said you wanted to help when we had our tea date, but you don’t have to do it. Please.”

Max looks at Kate, but couldn’t focus on her. _My mind has been an absolute wreck today. Plus I have to coordinate with my relatives and the funeral director the day after._ Max buries her head into her hands. _But Kate...The abstinence stand is something important to her. But I’m afraid she is going to get picked on, especially after that video. I have to be there for her._ She says, through her hands. “Kate, I uh-...No, I would like to help out.”

Kate puts her hand up, “Max...Please don’t bother with me.” Kate didn’t want to say anything more, like bring up Chloe and her parent’s deaths again.

Max’s heart is pounding hard, making her a little dizzy. “No, I want to be there for you.” Max deeply cares about Kate, and she wants to be proactive with everything, and not be too late to make things right. She cannot rely on her powers. Because she can’t, this time.

Kate looks down, shaking her head. “Max, I appreciate it. But what have I done to deserve this? You don’t have to do that.”

Max rubs the back of head, to perhaps, relieve this sensation in her brain, “By being the most kind person in this entire school. Really, Kate. I would like to help out. Or at the very least, be there for you. I know it means alot to you. It’ll take my mind off some stuff.”

Kate reaches in and gives Max a quick hug. She, then reaches the back of Max’s head, and massaging with some force. “Does this feels better?”

Max closes her eyes, and lets out a soft laugh, “Yes. Thanks, Kate.”

Max reaches into her bag, while Kate is still massaging her head. Kate’s eyes follows her hand to see Max pulling out another photo.

It is the photo of when Max and Chloe sporting some pirate gear for Max’s 12th birthday. Max stares on with a smile. _If I’m careful to not change anything, could I...see them just one more time?_ In reality, it may just prolong the pain even longer, and possibly disrupt the future again.

Kate, still giving the massage, gently rest her head onto Max’s head, admiring the picture. “That’s a cute picture of you two.” Max is silent, staring at the picture. Not even her breath can be heard, but Kate can feel her trembling a bit. Kate inches her head over, close to Max’s forehead, pressing her lips into her head. “Max, what's wrong?” Still no response from her. Kate stops massaging, and leans in to take a look at Max’s face. Her eyes were rolled up, like she is in some sort of trance. Her face is trembling softly, “Max!”, she cries in a desperate tone. Kate looks around, seeing if there is anyone nearby, that can help.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Police Station

#### August 24th, 2016 3:25 AM

Chloe and Rachel were sitting in the back of the police cruiser, being taken away from the scene to be brought into the station for some questioning. Both Chloe and Rachel had their own cars, but the police insisted it is safer to transport both of them.

Earlier, it was a heartbreaking scene to watch. The looks of Chloe, when she first saw the corpse of her father. She had trouble accepting that he was dead, as this was her first tragedy she ever suffered. The police surrounded the area and is still currently investigating it. Maxine, was taken to the hospital to be monitored. Rachel really wanted to join Maxine, but the police asked if she could accompany Chloe, instead. They probably needed to ask some questions from the only witnesses. Even though Rachel can’t say too much, unless she starts telling the police she can reverse time, and somehow they believe her.

Chloe, just lost her father, which is a pain that is very familiar with Rachel and still haunts her from time to time. To hear the news and how horrifying it was to see your mother collapse mentally, after receiving that phone call.

Rachel’s father Bradley worked with the Prescott’s, in their construction sector. They wanted to construct a new bunker in Arcadia Bay. There were protests about it being on an ancient Indian burial ground. The Prescotts, of course ignored their warning and continue on with it.

Some reason, you would think there is regulation or inspectons that is required to approved. Or they are bought out by the Prescotts or too scared to do anything with them. There were bones and remains dugged up from this construction. This was kept as a secret among the company. At the time, Bradley told this to his wife Elizabeth only, of the horrids of being part of the project. Rachel was kept away from this fact until much later. Bradley, really wanted to skip out of this project because it was inhumane, and sensed a bad omen.

Well into the digging process, a thunderstorm came out of nowhere to Arcadia Bay. Bringing lots of rain and high gust winds. There was a cave-in in the digging process before all the workers could be evacuated. The cave-in trapped two people, which was Bradley and another person named Samuel.

No rescue team was immediately sent in for them because of the increasingly dangerous weather. No one was willing to risk their lives. 

After the weather died away the next day, they could not find their bodies at all. You would think there was some technology that was capable of detecting their bodies. But nothing at all. There were rumors that the ancient spirits were disrupting their technology from finding the bodies.

Few months later, the Prescotts officially cancelled the project, closing off the complete tunnel. Rachel and her mother cried very hard that night because it was the final confirmation that they would never find her father’s body.

Among all the chaos and protest happening on the construction site, Rachel found a single blue feather in the dirt. She picked it up and cherished it ever since, and made it to an earring that she wore on her right ear. She believed her father’s spirit escaped safety, and needs to be guided by her.

 

* * *

 

In the late hours, the hallways of the police station were quiet, echoing the footsteps of the two girls and the police officer that is leading them. There weren’t as many officers in the station at this time. Not like there were too many police officers in Arcadia Bay to begin with.

Rachel looks over at Chloe, who seems preoccupied with something else, more than just her father’s death. The shock of that is slowly going away, as she seems like she pondering about something else. Rachel reaches over to wrap her arm around her waist.

Chloe looks back at Rachel, with an absence of affection in her red, puffy eyes. Rachel recoils slightly and releases her arm.

The police officer opens the door to let both Rachel and Chloe into the room. It looks like an interrogation room. There is a table in the middle with four chairs, and an officer already in the room.

“Come sit down.” The police officer give a hand gesture for Chloe and Rachel to sit in the chairs in front of him.

Rachel and Chloe sits down in the chairs, without any words.

“My name is Officer Berry. I’ll be handling this case.”

 

* * *

 

The discussion with the officer and the two girls, went for a while, but of course not very eventful. Just lots of ‘Uh huh’ from the officer, and nothing of interest. They don’t have any leads at all. Not sure if it from the Prescotts family, some street thugs, or some rivals of the Prescotts, if such of a thing even exists.

It has been uncomfortable for Rachel to be next to Chloe. She would give absentminded stares towards Rachel from time to time. Almost like she giving a jab to her, purposely striking some tension in the air.

 

Rachel gets up from the table, rudely and begins pacing back and forth. The police officer looks at her with a confused look, but then continues on with their discussion.

A glimmer of light pulls Rachel’s attention to the back of the dimly lit room. She walks towards the light, and it expands into a larger field, similar to the one earlier, where she used to enter to warp back into it.

Rachel looks back, and only sees Chloe keeping an eye at her with bold eyes. But she is completely unaware of this rift in this room. Rachel looks back and takes a peek in it. It is the same interrogation room that she is in. There is a different police officer in this room, and instead of Chloe, there's Maxine. _This power, I would really like to understand this._

Curious, Rachel carefully steps into the rift.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Police Station

#### October 10th, 2013 3:27 PM

Rachel appears in this different version of the same interrogation room, but the people are different. The rift that Rachel came from is still there, but Rachel is eager to see what is going on in this area.

The police officer isn’t Officer Berry or the police officer that guided Rachel through the police station. This guy had a much more mean look, and completely shaved head. Maxine looks about the same, except she has shorter hair, wearing a purple cardigan, and striped shirt and white jeans. Rachel steps slowly towards them, as if she didn’t want to be noticed. Not like they will notice her. 

Maxine is very upset. She is speaking through her tears, fingers trembling. “I really don’t know how-” 

The police officer interrupts her. “You don’t know how you killed your best friend?” He lifts his hand, as if he is examining it in a smug fashion. He, then begins tapping his fingers in a rhythmic motion, creating an annoying clicking sound with his fingernails. Max became silence, besides her sniffing to clear her nose from time to time. “Funny, I see the IV machine was set to 11.” The officer looks back at Maxine, showing no sign of empathy to her. “A morphine overdose. I doubt a damn crippled can do that to herself.”

Rachel looks on with confusion. _Maxine, killed me with an overdose? Is this the future or an alternate reality?_

Maxine pleas more desperately. “No, I know I did that...I-I don’t know what to say. I-...I just felt... bad for her.” Maxine couldn’t talk anymore, as her throat becomes too tight to speak.

The police gets up to his desk and approaches her from the side, walking past Rachel. Again, still no sign of empathy from his posture or tone. “You will rot in prison. Her parents see that it’ll go that way. And that you go to hell for it.”

Maxine covers her face with both of her hands, sobbing immensely. “William...Joyce...I’m so sorry.”

Rachel’s mouth dropped slightly with confusion. _That’s not my parent’s name._ She looks at the police officer with a furious glare. “Back the fuck up”. Of course the officer cannot hear Rachel’s words, and he continues to stare down at Maxine.

The police officer lowers her head, to be at the same level as Maxine. “Did she tell you anything else?”

The door opens behind them with a loud force, grabbing all of their attentions.

“Officer Marshall”, the police officer that opens the door, give a cautious look at Maxine through his sunglasses. “We have to step down for a little bit. We got the -” He nods his head like giving a subliminal message. This officer is wearing aviator glasses, even though he is indoor, you can see there a large scar across his face. Must have took a large cut from a knife, or something.

Nathan Prescott appears right behind the police officer at the door. Rachel’s eyes widen in surprise, her mouth opening slightly. _What is he doing here?_ Nathan is wearing a white polo shirt with a light blue cardigan on top of it and jeans. His facial expression is soft, yet very uneasy.

The officer pushes himself off the table, causing the table to slide, making that irritating sound. Apparently his name is Officer Marshall, going by what the other officer called him. He gives a quick smirk to Max and smugly walk towards the door. Nathan pulls away slightly to let him out. The officer at the door, looks at Nathan and gives him a hand gesture for him to come in.

Nathan looks at him with a cold stare but couldn’t maintain it against the officer empowering stance, and walks into the room. Another young woman, with short blond hair, parted to the side, follows right behind him. The police officer closes the door behind them, leaving them alone.

The woman approaches Maxine and wrapping her arms around her shoulder. “Max, I miss you.” She lets go the hug, to give Maxine a kiss on her lips. 

Rachel crosses her arm, appalled about the sight of her best friend kissing this blond woman. _So Maxine is with this bitch?_

Maxine, still very startled from everything, didn’t respond to the kiss with much affection. Instead, she holds onto the woman’s hand. “Victoria, I miss you too.” She brings hand up closer to her face, and kisses it. “I’m so scared.” Maxine’s voice is shaking, and she presses her face into her hand.

So the girl’s name is Victoria... Rachel eyes Victoria up and down. She has on very fancy clothes. The type of clothing that only see people wears in those snobby TV shows. You can tell she comes from a wealthy family like Nathan’s. Rachel is not fond of her, as she seems very pretentious person. Even worse, why is Maxine kissing her?

Maxine’s tilts her head back, turning towards Nathan. Victoria gently lets go of Maxine to her stand up to give Nathan a hug. 

Rachel is feeling nausous, almost wanting to vomit. _I regret coming here. This is a nightmare. I want out!_

“I-I” Maxine’s voice cracks. “I killed Chloe.” Maxine begins to sob loudly. “I killed my best friend who I haven’t seen.” 

Rachel stares in confusion. _What is this? So Chloe is your best friend here? Is this the future? Or a different timeline?_ Rachel looks down, as she has also has some sympathy with Chloe. _She killed Chloe, with a morphine overdose…Also, why am I not at all mentioned so far?_ Jealousy begins seething within Rachel.

“I’m sorry Max.” Nathan tightens his grip around her body slightly. “Your best friend’s parents doesn’t seem like they want to press any charges.” He presses the side of his face into Maxine’s short hair. “They really love you, Max.”

Maxine pulls her head slightly away. “W-what? No, they’re mad at me.” She shakes her head in disagreement with Nathan.

Victoria holds onto Maxine from behind, burying her head against Maxine’s back. “No, they’re not mad at you. They know Chloe told you to do what you did. And they understand it was a difficult decision for you to back away from.”

The officer must have said it to try and intimidate Maxine. Typical scumbags you expect from the police.

Nathan takes a step back, staring deep into Maxine’s eyes with sympathy. “Max, I’m sorry to tell you but your friend’s parents are in big trouble. They are hundred of thousands in the red. The cost of keeping their daughter alive-...Uh even if it was a short amount of time, was insane. And they’re going to lose their home.”

Maxine's body pulls back. “W-wha? They’re going to lose their house?” Maxine struggles to talk, as it just seems like a barrage of bad news, one after another. Even though Rachel is not fully understand what is going on, even she begins to feel the pain Maxine is suffering, by looking at her face. She barely manages to continue, “They are the nicest people in this world. They don’t deserve this at all.”

Nathan looks over at Victoria, who is still hugging Maxine from behind. “Max, don’t worry about them. I’ll take care of it.” Maxine turns her body around, causing Victoria to also pulls away to look at Nathan. “I’ll pay off their bills.”

Maxine’s eyes widen. “No Nathan.” She lunges forward, grabbing his arm. “Don’t do it. You can’t do this. We only met not too long ago. You can’t be this generous.”

Nathan shakes his head, “It is just a drop in a bucket for my family.”

Maxine tugs on the sleeve of his cardigan some more, “I appreciate it. I really do, but no, you can’t.”

Nathan looks off to the side, staring off to the distant, and gathering his thoughts. “Max, I’ve been going to therapy sessions for my problems. And those are very expensive. Of course I’m able to pay for it. But for your friend, who really needed help. These money hungry assholes...the only thing they really care about, is your money. They don’t actually care about you.”

Maxine gently lets go of his sleeves, looking down. “Nathan…”

Nathan turns back to Maxine, holding on both of her arms. “Your friend’s dad, sacrificed everything for her daughter. He knew he going to lose his home, his money and everything he ever owned in his life. Just for her daughter to live a little bit longer. I really do admire that Max. I really do.” Nathan lets go of her arms, and pinches his own nose. His voice cracks, “I know my father will never do what your friend’s father did, for me. He never will.”

Maxine wraps her arms around Nathan, giving him a kiss on his cheeks.

Nathan backs away, like he didn’t need any sympathy. “This Officer Marshall...he is very corrupt. Even though he is money hungry and paid him off, I still can’t trust the guy.”

Rachel stares on, surprised with Nathan’s kind heartedness. But everything that happens here, has to be taken with a considerable amount of doubt. She rolls her eyes and walks back towards the rift. She didn’t want to see anymore of this. She feels empty in this timeline, not at all even mentioned. Like she is forgotten, and faded away like a memory.

Rachel looks back at the rift still there. She sees herself, the police officer and Chloe in the room. And she steps through again.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Police Station

#### August 24th, 2016 3:47 AM

“Ma’am?” Rachel feels a touch on her shoulder. She turns around and see Officer Berry. Chloe is also looking straight at her, with a curious look.

Rachel snaps out of it, brushing her hair. “Sorry, I was just spacing out.”

“Uh-yeah you were.” Officer Berry nods in agreement. “But we are finished. So you are free to go.” He gives a hand gesture towards the door.

Chloe and Rachel walks out the interrogation room. Outside waits lady with blond hair, sitting at the bench outside. Her eyes were little puffy. 

“Mom…” Chloe runs up and throw herself to her. The tears now comes out again, silently.

“Honey…” she holds Chloe tight, she attempts a smile with her mouth, but her eyes didn’t bother. Her mother is mute with her tongue, as there is probably no words that can be said at this moment. They’re both shocked and devastated. There is just silence with the exception of Chloe softly sobbing into her.

Rachel tips her nose up, getting a better look at the woman. “Joyce?”

The woman looks up from Chloe, “Rachel?” They both knew each other, because Rachel works part time at the Two Whales Diner, and Joyce is a veteran waitress there. Chloe digs her fingers into her mother’s light jacket, holding onto her mother even more tight, and not giving her a chance to approach Rachel. “Were you with Rachel?”

Rachel walks closer, looking at Chloe. She didn’t want to look back, completely ignoring Rachel. “Yeah, I was with her. I didn’t know she is your daughter.” Rachel pulls back, glancing back and forth between Joyce and Chloe, sensing her welcome is already expired. “I’ll let you two be.” Rachel murmurs under her breath, and walks away. Rachel didn’t even offer any condolences to her. 

“Uh...bye Rachel.” Joyce waves at Rachel awkwardly, then looks back down at Chloe.

Rachel hurries down the hallway and turns around the corner to be out of sight from them. She backs into the wall and slides down slowly, until her butt crashes into the floor. She presses her hands into her head, scratching her forehead and hair.

It has been a long night. She needs some time to herself, and it been mentally exhausting. Chloe’s father just got murdered. Rachel saved Chloe with her new time travel powers, but now Chloe is being weird to her. In the other rift or timeline, Chloe and Maxine are best friends. But Maxine kills her with a morphine overdose. Why would Maxine do that? And there is this Victoria, which seems to be a lover of Maxine. And Nathan, which still a rich punk, seems like a half decent person. The most disturbing thing out of all that, is not even a mention of Rachel. Her existence isn’t even acknowledged at all in it, given how close she is with Maxine. _That’s very fucked up._ It should be totally different timeline, but Rachel have a feeling it is connected to this one. She has to prevent this timeline from becoming like the other timeline.

“What are you doing?” A calm, yet fierce tone, causes Rachel’s body to flinch, almost hopping up from the ground. Rachel shows her face behind her hands, seeing Chloe standing right up next to her, looking down at her with a fierce look. It is just her, Joyce isn’t there beside her.

Rachel attempts to get up, but falls back down because her knees were being pressed back by Chloe’s legs, who isn’t willing to bulge to give her space to get up. Rachel looks up at Chloe, “Can you please move?” _What the hell is wrong with her?_ Chloe stares back with the same expression. She listens, and takes a small step back with each foot, given Rachel barely enough space to stand up.

Rachel lets out a frustrated sigh, and slowly stands up. Before she stands all the way up, Chloe sharply steps forward, grabbing both of Rachel’s arms, and thrusting her back into the wall. Rachel lets out a hiss of pain silently, from the impact of the back of her head. Her eyes partially opened, “What is your damn problem?”

Chloe’s eyes were filled with anger but they were some tears in them. “You know something.”

Rachel looks at both of Chloe’s hands, who is firmly grasping at her arms. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

Chloe leans her head closer, puffing out warm, fierce breath onto Rachel. “You started to act strange all of the sudden, then you started to kiss me. You really went all out to try and stop me from helping my father. And knowing he is already-.” Chloe stops, weakening her look as her throat feels too thick to speak. She weakens her grasp at Rachel’s arms, but Rachel doesn’t shrug it off, yet.

Seeing Chloe’s emotions, brings back memories of how Rachel felt when she was younger, when her father died. “Chloe,” Rachel says in a soft, sympathetic voice. “I know I didn’t say the right thing. I really was scared for your life.”

Chloe drops her arms to her sides, releasing Rachel’s arms. She looks away, her bangs dangling loosely over her forehead. “Thanks. But…” She swallows to clear her throat. “I- can’t trust you anymore.”

Rachel thinks for a moment, if she needs to tell Chloe about her secret or not. She really wants to find out who killed Chloe’s father. There is a good chance maybe the people that drugged and possibly raped Maxine were involved as well. Rachel slowly leans her body towards Chloe, and mutters quietly. “I do have something to tell you. But I can’t tell you here.”

Chloe turns back towards Rachel, lazily, like she is too tired to hear anymore emotional and painful news. “What do you mean?”

Rachel eyes the corner of the hallway, then back to Chloe. “I don’t trust the police.”

Chloe looks at the corner, as well, where Rachel was looking at, and then back. “Rachel, please don’t do anything else to fuck with me.”

Rachel picks up Chloe's hands and holds onto it. “I know. My father died. And those…” Her tone becomes more toxic. “Fuckers, didn’t even bother finding his body. So there an empty grave of his. So I know a bit about not wanting people to fuck me over.”

Chloe's eyebrow lowers, thinking that Rachel also went through the same hell she is going through. She drops her hands, and reach in to give Rachel, a hug. “I-I’m sorry, Rachel.”

Rachel closes her eyes, welcoming her warm embrace, as she is vulnerable like her. “No…” She gently pushes Chloe away, dipping her head down. “I’ll give you Maxine’s number…She will want to talk to you. And you should talk to her, too.” She looks down at Chloe’s pockets. “I’ll punch it in your phone.”

Chloe nods softly, and reaches into her pocket to pull out her phone. She unlocks the phone, and hands it over to Rachel, who takes the phone and punches in Maxine’s phone number and hands it back. Chloe looks at her phone again, “Can you give me your number, too?”

Rachel smiles back, taking the phone back and entering her number as well. She gives the phone back to Chloe. “Chloe, I’m going to help you. And- if you see this Officer Marshall person, be careful around him”

Chloe looks confused, “I-I don’t think I’ve dealt with that guy, or at least the officers that gave me their name. Why Rachel?”

Rachel looks at Chloe’s phone. “Just avoid him for now. And Chloe…” She looks back at Chloe. She hesitates, pressing her front teeth into her bottom lips. “Please don’t tell Maxine, that I…” Rachel flutters her eyes slowly, “That I kissed you.”

Chloe nods slowly almost automatically, but there weren’t any agreement in her expression. Rather, there were just some minor confusion. Maybe it was one of those things that is probably best not to say since it not a big deal. “Rachel…” She closes her eyes. “Okay.”

Rachel senses the dissatisfaction in Chloe’s tone. Chloe knows Rachel has an interest in Maxine, so it could cause an issue if she found out. Rachel changes the subject to say goodbye, “I’ll see you around, Chloe. Be there for your mother.”

Chloe nods her head, and pulls away to walk back to the direction of Joyce.

Rachel sighs, and walk towards the lobby area. _If Maxine finds out though, it can be a big deal._ She thinks about what Maxine would do. If she had any feelings for Rachel, she going to get upset and hate her for that. And maybe make it easier for her to leave Rachel forever.

All of a sudden, a glimmer of light appears reflecting off the walls in the lobby. And like before, a distortion appears in the lobby area. _Not this shit again._ Still curious, Rachel approaches the rift to see what image is in it. Maxine, again with short hair, has her head down, looking very sad. There is a new blond girl next to her, that Rachel has never seen. _Maybe I can get more information, though. To prevent this timeline from happening. Ugh, fuck curiosity killed the cat._

She enters the rift.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Police Station

#### October 13th, 2013 4:41 PM

Maxine and this blond girl that wears her hair in a bun were sitting in a bench. She looks like she could be going to a private church school, given her outfit. Both of their eyes were puffy, like they were crying not too long ago.

Rachel walks right up next to Maxine, and sits down in the floor in front of her. She scoots in closer, until she is basically up to Maxine’s legs. She observes Maxine, and noting what she is wearing. A gray hoodie jacket, and pink t-shirt and jeans. _You’re much less fashionable in this timeline or whatever. Though, you do still look pretty nice with short hair, Maxine._

Maxine pulls out a photo from her bag, causing Rachel to rises up to leans over by her shoulder. It is a picture of a blue butterfly. _Interesting...I saw a blue butterfly during the time stop sequence. Could it be related?_ There is a strange energy pulsating from it, almost like the butterfly is actually moving in the photo.

Maxine’s friend phone vibrates, breaking the tension, and deterring Rachel’s attention. 

Rachel looks at this new girl. _Is this Maxine’s new girlfriend now? She seems cute and very sweet, actually._ Rachel looks down disappointed, wondering if she also exists in this timeline. Why is Maxine with all these other people, and not her. It is a depressing to see your best friend to be no longer your best friend or even mentioned at all. It almost like, not being destined to be together. Which is the biggest fear of Rachel, that one day Maxine will just abandon her.

Rachel isn’t paying attention to Max and the blond girl, as they seems to be preoccupied with something on their phone. _It seems like time stops when I enter to these rifts. I guess I can have some time to just collect my thoughts on what happened today._

This power that Rachel has. She needs to use it to find out about everything. Once she knows everything, she can find out the murderers of Chloe’s father, and the ones that drugged Maxine. There are no mentions of Rachel or Chloe in this world. Rachel thinks about Chloe’s words, _“you can always make things right in the future”_. It is true, and Rachel will do it. She just needs to identify everything about these world and do the opposite of it. So no Victoria, or this cinnamon bun girl from entering Maxine’s life.

A voice talks over Rachel, while she is hunches over. “I’m sorry for your loss. We have fully recovered the car wreckage from the highway and currently investigating with the local authority in the city of Cannon Beach. In a few minutes, their bodies will be ready for viewing...”

Rachel looks back at Maxine. _Car wreckage? Did Maxine’s parents die?_ _So this makes sense. Shit...so my vision were true. So she went to Blackwell Academy in this one? And these are her classmates?_ Rachel feels a sense of dread in her. She cannot say any of this to the real Maxine, or she will feel obligated to go back to her parents again.

The other Maxine opens her bag and pulls out another photo in there.

Rachel peeks over. It is a photo of Max and...Chloe? _Yep, of course, she is here! Seriously, fuck you Chloe._ Looks like when they were younger, sporting pirate gear. Maxine looks on it with a smile. 

In contrast, Rachel looks at the picture with envy. _That is supposed to be fucking me. This is ridiculous! Where the fuck am I?_ Rachel’s expression soften as she senses a strong energy that radiates from the photo. Or at least from the photo when Maxine looks at it.

Rachel leans over, to get a better view of the photo, and places her hand on Maxine’s shoulder.

The sound of the whirling train kicks in all of the sudden, freezing the time around them. Rachel looks deeply at the photo and reaches for it.

The world around them starts dissolving...

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Foxy’s Treasure Island Restaurant

#### September 22th, 2007 7:47 PM

“You two are so adorable,” the photographer peeks away from the camera with a grin. “The picture will be ready soon. You can return back to your table, we will deliver it back to table…” The photographer leans back, looking at a white card that is clipped on her camera. “Table 12...” She does a double take on the shorter brunette. “Oh, how funny. It is your 12th birthday, and you’re table 12.” She lets out a dumb, hearty chuckle.

Max’s eyes widen in shock, looking back and forth. She feels an arm grips her lower waist and she looks over. _Chloe?!?_ It is her younger self with the blond hair and wearing the pirate costume. 

Chloe grins at the photographer, giving a nod, “Thanks lady!”.

Rachel looks at the photographer stepping away. S _he did not see me. So I’m still a ghost in this timeline. But where the fuck am I?_ She looks over and see she has her hand on Max’s shoulder, but not quite exactly, because her hand can pass through her body. Even though she can’t physically touch her, Rachel can sense Max’s fear, and her body trembling.

Max is trying her best to keep her cool, but she almost hyperventilating. _Shit, did I accidentally jump into this photo? It didn’t even give me a warning this time._ Her eyes scans desperately back and forth, like she is hoping for some solution.

Chloe looks at her with a puzzled look, and dips her head lower to observe Max. “Hey Chicken Max. Why are you shaking so much?” She grabs Max with both her arms.

Rachel takes a step back, observing everything, noting that they were both wearing the pirate outfits like in the picture. _We jumped into the photo Maxine was holding. But not only that…_ Rachel takes a closer look at Max’s frightened look. _I brought her back here, too._

Max gently pushes Chloe back. “Uh-h y-yeah...I’m fine.” She is trying to contain the shakiness in her voice. And at same time, trying to contain the overwhelming emotion of seeing her best friend alive again. _Shit, I can’t change anything. I have to play it cool._ “Let’s go back to eat?” Max says in the most fake, serious tone.

Chloe’s tilts her head, still skeptical. “Sure…Big Max.” She, then smiles and wrap her arms around Max, and walks off the photo set they were in. “Let’s go back and finish dinner.”

Both of them begins pacing back towards their table. There were many things going through Max’s mind. _This isn’t like my photo jump at all. There is no photographic boundaries. I can walk anywhere I want._

Rachel pauses for a little bit. Trying to collect her thoughts so far in this area. _This is in the past, of that timeline I was just in, where Chloe and Max are best friends._ Rachel tucks her hand into her pockets, looking down at the ground. Even though these are alternate timelines, the more Rachel learns about this, the less hope she has for the future. Being all-knowing or omniscient, isn’t always a good thing. What can she do to make the future better? Or can she change the past? She never can directly affect the past, unless her body is physically there as well for her to take control.

She looks back up and dashes after the two pirates, as they all casually strolls through the small back hallways of the restaurant, and back into the loud bustling main restaurant area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Whew, this one was bit hard to write given the nature. And it is the aftermath of a huge event in Chapter 3. And also follow up to Chapter 1. 
> 
> I'm excited for the next chapter. It is going to be fun and challenging as well. :)
> 
> Please leave any feedbacks and critiques in the comments section. I know the multiple timelines can be rough. If you have any tips or comments about my use of the multiple timeline. Please leave in the comments!


	5. Retracing Memories

 

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Foxy’s Treasure Island Restaurant

#### September 22th, 2007 7:50 PM

The restaurant is filled with life; the waiters and waitresses all dressed up pirate themed, moving in the kitchen with empty cups with lingering foam, and empty plates smudged with left over greases and sauces. Then to come out, with trays that are packed with food like prime ribs, tri-tips, baked potatoes, and fries. The patrons were all loaded up on booze and being placed in a food coma like what you would possibly imagine how pirates lived back in the days.

The two girls, followed by Rachel, arrives back at the table, to join up with the rest of the others. It is both Max’s parents, Vanessa and Ryan. And Chloe’s parents, Joyce and William. They conclude their conversation prematurely and turn their attention to the two young girls, approaching the table.

“There the two pirates!” Ryan says in an sluggish, drunk voice, raising his cup of whiskey and ginger ale, like a total drunkard trying to give a toast.

“Calm down Ryan, you’re making a fool out of yourself, like usual. Let the princesses come back in.” Vanessa winks at two girls, pulling out the two empty chairs next to her from underneath the table.

Max stops in her path at the sight of her living mother and father. Chloe, gently presses her back, for her to resumes walking back to their seat. In addition, with not wanting to change anything drastically, she tries to keep a straight face as much as possible. She sits down at the open seat next to her mother, with almost pure silence. Like she is not supposed to interact or even look at her mother. Instead, she finds something to distract herself by taking off the eye-patch she is wearing, to put it in her pocket. Then again, maybe it is a better idea to keep the eye-patch on, so you can at least cover some of the emotions in that one eye. Chloe, sits down at the empty chair right next to Max.

Rachel crosses her arms, standing besides the table to eavesdrop. _This is going to be interesting, I wish I got some popcorn._ Rachel only knew Joyce, but very little, and there is a lot of friction between her and Max’s parents.

“Max, do you have the picture?” Joyce leans forward in the table, asking across the table.

Before Max can say anything, Chloe answers for her, “Mom, they said it’ll be ready in a little bit.”

“Well thanks, Max,” William teases her daughter, he stabs his fork into the small piece of the prime rib left on his plate, and put it into his mouth.

Max, finally turns over to her mother. She is feeling a little light-headed, perhaps this is too much all at once for her, and slowly getting used to this timeline. Her mom looks back smiling, and gently rubbing Max’s hand. “Mom, I love you, so much.” Max squeaks out barely, almost as if she not confident on how this version of her _mother_ would react to it.

Her mother smiles becomes even greater. “I love you too, Maxine.” She dips her head and gives Max’s a peck at her cheeks.

Her mother’s kiss helps put ease into her mind, and finally clicks back some of these memories back to her. With some more confidence, she quickly wraps her arms around her mother, to give her a big hug. Tears of joy finally emerges from her eyes, but she continues to try and play it cool.

Vanessa looks down at the top of Max’s head, “See, you sometimes say you get embarrassed when I give you a hug in front of your friends.” She looks up to Chloe grinning, showing her teeth, teasing. “When you grow up, you are going to miss hugging your mother.”

Max buries her head deeper into her mother’s shoulder, almost want to bite her for saying such terrible statement, even though it is a complete joke. She wants to give back a swift joking reply, but she couldn’t. _You’re right. I am going to miss hugging you, Mom._ The silence remains, as Max struggles to contains her feelings, forcing to keep her head shrouded into her mother's shoulder.

Rachel steps closer to Max and Vanessa, getting a closer look at the mother-daughter bond. _Shit, this must be absolutely heart breaking for Maxine._

Vanessa is flattered, but also surprised with Max’s persistent hug. Normally, Max would get a little embarrassed even with the smallest hug or affection with her parents in public, at least when she was getting older and approaching her pre-teens years. She gently pushes Max’s head away to get an up close look at her face, and sees her puffy eyes, and the tears in them. “You’re crying, honey.” Her voice became soft, and quiet, almost like a whisper to not humiliate the young brunette, in front of the others.

Max blinks to release the stubborn tears that were clinging in her eyes. “I’m-” Her throat were stuck and out of words. She pauses for a second, taking a few short breaths. Vanessa, reaches around her back and rubs it to calm her down. “I’m just happy.” She lets out a not very convincing smile, but it the best Max can pull out at this very moment.

She slowly turns to the rest of the table, with a little more confidence, and try to make it less awkward with the others. “I’m very happy you guys all celebrating my birthday.” Everyone smiles back, in response to Max’s short but touching statement. She turns back to look over at her father, who is sitting in a cramped seat on the other side of Vanessa. “Mommy, I want to give daddy a kiss.”

Her mom shifts her weight to the back of her chair, and leans back, “Oh sure, there isn’t much room. You want me to get out first?”

Max smiles, shaking her head profusely, “No it’s okay, maybe I can just slide over you.” Not wanting to give her mother some hassle of getting up from her seat.

Her mom, waves her hand over her lap, signalling Max to slide over her, “Sure of course, just slide over me.”

Max shifts the weight of her butt as gentle as she can, over her Mom’s lap to reach over to her father. For a moment, she thinks she has her larger 18 years old body, but she is tinier in this time. She reaches her father, sliding off her mother’s lap and into his. “Daddy!” He reeks of alcohol in his breath, but Max didn’t mind at all.

Her father is already sipping his whiskey and ginger ale. He quickly swallows, and puts down his drink, followed with a refreshing ‘Ahh’. He turns to her daughter, “Maxine!”

Max wraps her arms around her father, and kiss him in the cheeks. “I love you, Daddy!”

Her father chuckles. “You don’t want to be this close. Daddy’s breath stinks.” He disregards his own warning and gives a peck at Max’s cheeks, anyways.

“Dad, it’s okay!” Max grins. A mixture of joy and sadness, fills her body. “I love you, so much…” Her voices is barely audible, that she looks away, pressing her lips on the tip of her fingers. _My dad is so silly, and loving person. I will...miss you._

Her father laughs, becoming more rowdy, “Max, when you turn 21. I’m going to take out to a Irish Pub and we can see who is the better drinker! Deal?”

Max’s body flinches slightly, with her father’s words. She shakes her head, but her father doesn’t notices it. _Why did he have to say that?_ Instead of replying to him, Max tilts her head, pressing her forehead firmly into her father’s shoulder.

Vanessa talks over Max’s shoulder. “You idiot. Competing with a tiny girl in a drinking game.”

Ryan, barks in a friendly way back at Vanessa. “Oh shush. You can be our Double D, when we have too much fun.”

Vanessa tips her nose slightly up in the air, in a mischievous way, “People say 'DD'. Only a pervert like you will say 'Double D'. And hand me back Maxine, get your filthy paws off my beautiful princess.”

Ryan smiles back, raising her eyebrow, “Hey I’m calling you a Double D. Isn’t that a compliment?”

Vanessa snorts in a mockingly way, “Oh you quiet. Don’t confuse me for those ladies that you used to look at-” She interrupts herself, bursting into laughter. The rest of the table erupts in a small scattered laughter, except for Max, who remains quiet.

Ryan cracks up, holding one hand up, for her to stop, “Vanessa! Okay that’s too much, you gotta stop. How much did you have to drink?”

Vanessa tearing up from her laughs. “Actually I just had that only one drink, earlier. Which is even more bad, because I have no excuse. I’ll stop.” She presses both of her lips on some of her long wavy hair.

Chloe leans in closer to Vanessa, “Uncle Ryan, is so different when he is drinking.”

Vanessa turns around, smiling at Chloe. “Yeah, he becomes Uncle Stupid.” She turns her attention at William and Joyce. “We have to careful what we say around the girls.”

Smiling, Joyce chips in, “I think as long it is in all good fun. We are all having fun.”

William laughs, patting on top of Chloe’s head. “Yeah, it’s all good times. No worries.”

Vanessa looks at William and Joyce and nods in agreement. Then she turns back to Max, who still has her head down. “Maxine...are you okay?”

Max slowly pulls herself up, looking at her father with a small smile. She nods her head slightly, answering her mother, then kisses her father’s cheek, again. “I love you, Dad.” She repeats again calmly, ignoring the jokes her parents were exchanging earlier. She turns around, to head back to her seat, and having to pass through her Mom’s seat.

Vanessa raises her eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Instead she pats on Max’s back, as she climbs over her lap back to her chair.

Rachel stares on, letting out a sigh. _This is what I took away from her in my timeline. Her parents...She seems so full of life. I caused her to rebel against her parents, and to choose me over them._ And for this timeline, it is a tragic to see that these two loving parents won’t be able to live that long of a life.

Max’s ears twitches a little bit, as if she senses something. Something is off about this reality, but she has no choice but to continue along with it. Does she have to live the next six years, without making a single change in her decision in life? The sound of it is awful, especially have to relive the death of Chloe and her parents.

Max looks to Chloe, with a grin. “Chloe…”

Chloe’s lips were pressed thin, curving upwards slightly, but there were some concerns in her eyes. “Maximus!” She forces out the enthusiasm.

Max hesitates with her hug with Chloe. _I couldn’t save her. I saw her died, and just sat down in the corner, crying._ All the sorrow and grief suddenly hits her fragile 12 year old body, as she breaks down into tears. She buries her face behind her hands.

Chloe reacts quickly, reaching in to give Max a hug and whispers into her ear, “Okay, tell me what’s going on Max? You can tell me anything.”

Max is barely audible, “Nothing…”

Rachel leans in to hear them better. _Maxine and Chloe are best friends. Except Maxine seems happier with Chloe, than she is with me... Shit, am I overthinking it?_ She looks at Chloe, with a bubble of jealousy springing up.

Chloe is not satisfied with Max’s answer. “You’re lying, little Max.”

Max continues to cry into her Chloe’s shoulder. “I love all you guys. And…” She pauses, trying to calm her breathing to say the next part, but she couldn’t. So she continues, the best she can over her troubled breathing, “I love you, Chloe…” She grips Chloe’s body even tighter. “I love you, so much.” She repeats with more confidence.

Chloe bites her lower lips, with a frown face. “Max, you don’t even know what love is. I’m not even sure myself.”

Max sniffs, clearing her nose. “It’s true. But…” Max takes a deep breath, she leans her head closer to her. “I do know, I always want to be with you. I never ever want to let you down. All these adventures, there is only one person I want to do it with, and that is you. If you’re ever sad or lonely, I will always be there for you. And... And I want you to be there always with me.”

Chloe’s mouth opens slightly, and she grips Max even more. She didn't know what to say, and the joker in her wants to dodge this emotion as much as possible. “Max…I can’t handle this mushy...moment.”

Max’s throat is shaky. “It’s okay,” She releases Chloe, and looks at her in the face. She gives her a kiss on the cheek. Chloe is a little embarrassed, but then she smiles, and returns the favor of kissing Max back on the cheek.

Vanessa scratches her jawbone. “Wow, I’m crying.” She rubs off her eyes, to wipe some tears.

William agrees in a calm tone. “Yeah, very touching, Max.”

Max gets up and walk around Chloe’s chair to William. Rachel steps back instinctively, as if she is giving Max room to walk past her. Max gives William a hug and kiss. “Thanks William. Thanks for being such a great father to Chloe. You help make her into a strong and caring person.” _Another person, that I watched him die. He left the front door, right into his death. I traded him to prevent Chloe from getting into that car accident._

William laughs, but replies in a calm tone. “Thank you Max for everything. You are very special to Chloe.” Chloe is covering her mouth with her hand, and resisting to cry. She gives a soft nod in agreement.

Max smiles back, and turns to Joyce. “Thanks Joyce.” _Both her and I are the only one alive._ “You are so hardworking, and always hanging in there.”

Joyce smiles, but not too sure if she understanding everything. “Thanks Max. You’re such a sweetie.”

Rachel rubs her eyes, being touched by Max and how much she loved the people. It pains her to see her breaking down. “Maxine, you really loved these people.”

Max jerks her head, sharply at the direction of Rachel. Her eyes were alert and wide opened. Rachel looks back at her in shocked. Max’s eyes scans the direction back and forth. Rachel waves her hand around, but Max doesn’t notice her. _Did she hear me?_

“Honey, are you okay?” Vanessa looks on at her child.

“Yeah Mom, I’m fine…” She looks down and walk back to her chair, with her face down.

Rachel dips her head close to Max, trying to examine her facial expression. She, then climbs up on the table, and sits crossed legs in front of Max. “I’m sitting on the bread and butter basket.”

Max’s head shoots up, looking at the basket full of breads. She has no idea who the voice is. _Who is that talking? Is it a ghost?_

Vanessa follows Max's eyes, looking towards the basket of breads. “Max, you want some bread?” She reaches over, grabbing the basket.

Max shakes her head, “No Mom, I’m good.”

Rachel scratches her chin. _She can’t see me, but she can hear me._ “Meet me in the bathroom. Alone.”

Max’s head shoots up again, nodding in silent. “Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” _I need to find out who that is._

Chloe turns over to Max, “You need me to come, with you?”

Max puts her hand up, shaking her head, “No, I’m good.” She gets up and paces herself quickly to the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

Max approaches the restroom sink, cuffing the long sleeves on her dark blue top. She puts her hands on the counter of the restroom sink, staring at the bathroom mirror. She examines through the mirror to make sure there is no one in the stalls, and finally she speaks with a calm tone. “Who are you?”

Rachel sighs, walking right beside to Max, also pressing her hands onto the counter. She is finally able to communicate to Maxine in this form, but now is almost at a complete loss for words. “I’m not sure, if I’m supposed to be telling you.” She leans her head down, draping her long bangs over the sink.

Max tilts her head slightly up, and continue with a commanding tone. “Are you the one that is doing this?”

Rachel still staring blankly, into the sink. Even she isn’t fully sure, but she must be. “I think so...”

Max’s tone becoming more irritated with the short replies from her. “If you are trying to manipulate with time, it going to have very bad effect. I know for a fact.”

Rachel looks up at Max, a little shocked she is aware and has experience with time travel. “How do you know about time travel? Maxine, do you have that power?”

Maxine dodges her questions and her tone is now becoming more accusing. “How do you know my name?” She, then answers her own question, immediately afterwards. “Nevermind, you been eavesdropping this entire time.”

Rachel senses the lost of trust in her voice. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Max lets out a sigh, as it is becoming unbearable to contain her increasingly frustrated emotions. She really wanted to keep it in, including her secret but she can’t. Even with this complete stranger, she can sense some honesty in the tone, that the person has time rewind power, and is also probably her only chance out of this memory. She breaks down completely, “Please whoever you are, this is a very personal part in my life. I do not want to see this right now, it brings up too much bad memories. Almost everyone in that table has passed away, so it brings a lot of grief to me. And the thought I cannot do anything to prevent their deaths, kills me inside even more.”

Rachel already knew her parents and Chloe died. But she asks the question anyways, “Maxine...most of them died?”

Max sniffing her nose. “Yes, please. I beg of you, stop this, right now.”

Rachel finally shares her knowledge from earlier. “Your parents from a car accident? And Chloe from morphine overdose?”

Max looks surprised up at the mirror. “Wait what? How did you know this? What do you mean about the morphine overdose?”

Rachel replies, “I was with you in the police station earlier. And at a separate time, I saw you in a police interrogation room, for murdering Chloe by adjusting her morphine injector machine?”

Max thinks for a second, then she puts her hand over her mouth in shock. “Shit…You mean, that still happens?”

Rachel raises her eyebrow, “Did I see something that I’m not supposed to see? Well I guess in a way, all of this I’m not really supposed to see.”

Max’s lips tremble about thought herself euthanize Chloe, and to deal with the aftermath. _I guess I should have known, everything has a consequences. So, that timeline didn’t get overwritten?_ She bites her lips, “Okay, since you know so much about me, tell me who you are?”

Rachel takes a long breath. _There shouldn’t be any harm in telling her, especially how much I know about her already._ “I’m Rachel.”

Max’s mouth drops open, “Rachel? Rachel Amber?”

A mixture of shock and relief fills Rachel, almost making her smile. “So...you know me?”

Max shakes her head, “Not directly, Chloe mentioned about you.”

Rachel is becoming more curious. “So I don’t know you at all? What else can you tell me?”

Max doesn’t know much about Rachel, as she is mysterious person in her timeline. Everyone seems to have their own opinions about Rachel, ranging from positive to negative. She tells her what she knew, “Well...you were dating a drug dealer named Frank? You were pretty much best friend with Chloe. That is just about how much I know about you. Oh...and you wanted to move to Los Angeles.”

Rachel nods her head, trying to digest all of this. “I don’t know any Frank. I want to move back to Los Angeles? That is my dream. So Arcadia Bay must have also pissed me off, for me to do that?” Max’s eyes nervously shifts to the left, and back to the right. Rachel continues, “But Chloe...so me and her were close?”

Max nods her head, “Yes...when I left for Seattle for five years, you were my replacement. I think Chloe loved you. But you didn’t love her back, I think.”

Rachel is a little surprised with that, and smiled. “Really?” _Maybe because I love you more, Maxine. But it seems I don’t know Maxine in this timeline. I can see myself with Chloe, unless she very different in this timeline…_ “I don’t see how that is possible. Where am I now, at least in your present time?” Max flutters her eyes closed, taking a deep breath. She looks up the ceiling, of the damp and cold restroom. “Maxine, tell me please.” Rachel insists her on telling her.

Max stares emptily in the ceiling for a little bit more, then her eyes return back to the mirror. “Rachel…I’m sorry, I don’t know how to say this. But you’re dead.”

 _Dead?_ The word echoes into Rachel mind’s as it sends a blanket of frost over her entire body. She feels a cold prick on the side of her neck, and she slowly sinks to her knees. Blood begins coming out of her nose, dripping and falling through the ground. She, desperately pinches her nose with her fingers, but it keeps coming out at an alarming rate. Her vision slowly fades to black, but she struggles to regain it. There is a sensation she feels in her lower abdomen and between her legs. She reaches down there, holding on to it, her face reddens, in embarrassment. Then, her legs give out as she slowly collapses completely to the ground. Her eyes begins to bleed, as well with her nose, then her body became completely still and lifeless.

 

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Foxy’s Treasure Island Restaurant

#### September 23th, 2007 12:05 AM

Rachel wakes up in the pitch black, she can barely see anything, other than the emergency lights scattered near the floor of the restroom. _Did I pass out?_ The pain were all gone from earlier, and her nose and eyes were no longer bleeding.

She glances around, in the near void of darkness. Max is gone. The restaurant must have been closed now.

 

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### 101 South

#### September 23th, 2007 12:05 AM

The car clock reads just little past midnight. Chloe is going to spend the night at the Caulfields, so she is riding with Max, Vanessa and Ryan. While William and Joyce took their own car, and is driving home separately.

Max is lying on her back, in the backseat of the sedan midsize car, propping her head up on Chloe’s lap, staring deep in the roof the car. There is many things going through her head.

_This isn’t at all like the photo jump. Can I actually change the future doing this? Will it have consequences if I do it this way? Am I going to live my next six years like this? Without changing anything at all? Letting William die, and ignoring Chloe when I’m in Seattle. Then after those six years, can I save Chloe, and my parents? Or will the tornado come back? To be honest, a part of me don’t mind living this six years all over again. I have my family again. And my best friend. And this Rachel...is she a spirit? A vengeful spirit? Or maybe an angel? She began gagging and choking, when I mentioned she died. Then she became silent._

“Can’t believe a single car accident will force us to go all around on the damn 26 and 101 South,” Ryan grumbles in the front passenger seat.

“Go take a nap,” Vanessa, who is driving, responds to Ryan’s complaining. She looks up at the rear-view mirror to give eye contact to the blond girl. “Chloe, your parents is going home to check if Mr. Bongo is doing better, right?”

“Yeah they are. I think Mr. Bongo should be feeling better.” Chloe dips her head close to Max, whispering to her. “Your mom is so cute. She calls him, Mr. Bongo.”

Max chuckles. “Are we there, yet?” Max stirs playfully in Chloe’s lap, getting comfortable.

Chloe looks down, stroking the brunette’s bangs. “We are passing Cannon Beach.”

“Cannon Beach?” Max lifts her head from Chloe’s lap, and slowly pulls herself, to back of the driver’s seat, and rest her chin on it. She looks from behind her mother. _Cannon Beach. This is where Mom and Dad died._ A sense of tension enters her body. Max softly grips her mother’s shoulder for comfort.

She turns around for a second, and smiles, then back, focusing on driving. “Maxine.”

Max digs her nose into her mother’s shoulder, smelling and enjoying the scent of her.

Chloe pats on Max’s back. “I like seeing you close to your mom, like this. Don’t be embarrassed and think 12 years old is too cool to close to your mom, Maximus.”

Vanessa looks at the mirror, slowly nodding. “I agree, Chloe.”

Max smiles, even though her face is pressed into her mom’s shoulder. _I’m 18, and I don’t care at all._

“Sweetie, I have a headache. And I need to take a piss,” Ryan whines.

“Ryan! Not in front of the girls,” Vanessa scolds him.

“We can pull over, if you want Mr. Caulfield,” Chloe makes eye contact with Vanessa again, in the rearview mirror, and winks.

Vanessa pulls over the car in one of the turns, with a large shoulder. When the car comes to a complete stop, Ryan jumps out the car, hobbling on both feet to the nearest bush. Max leans back and sit back, close and right beside Chloe.

“For Christ’s sake, Ryan can you go a little bit farther?” Vanessa looks over to her side, shaking her head in disapproval.

Ryan creeps closer into the bush, “It’s not like they can see anything.”

“You got that right,” she murmurs in a low tone and turns around towards the girls. The two girls looks back at her with curious eyes. A nervous smiles emerges, part humorous and part nervous. “Sorry, I-uh.” She is not sure if her joke is appropriate to the young girls, or if they even understood it.

Chloe grins, “It’s okay, I’ll cover Max’s ears.” she places both palms over Max's ears.

Max rubs her nose, chuckling to herself. Vanessa smiles at Max, and reaches her hand out towards Max. She dips her head down in a playful manner, trying to get close to her’s eye level. “Max...come to mommy.”

Chloe lets go for Max’s ears, and give a gentle push for Max to move to her mother, giving her a hug.

Max looks out the windshield, right over her mother’s shoulder. In the distant she can see a dark figure walking away. She lifts her head from her mother’s shoulder. Something is off with that person. _Who is walking around this late at night?_

“What’s up sweetheart?” Vanessa still holding on to Max, examining closely her expression.

Max pries her mother’s grasp and hops over to the passenger seat, and leans towards the dashboard to get a better look. “Mom, do you see that person?”

Vanessa looks over at Max’s direction, and she shakes her head. “No, I don’t see anyone. It is dark, so your vision is probably better than mines. Why? Is someone about to get blinded by your father?”

There is something very off with that person, besides the fact it is a person walking out in the dark highways of Oregon. Max steps out the car door.

Vanessa says in the nervous tone. “Oh Max don’t go near your father…” Max stands up straight, looking far down the road. Her heartbeat begins to echo through her body, she can feel some sort kind of energy in the distant. “Ryan, you better not turn around. Keep it...in the bush.” Vanessa lets out an immature chuckle.

Chloe opens her door slightly, “Max? What’s up?”

Max begins pacing towards the dark figure, it is probably a good three hundred feet away, barely illuminated by the moonlight. Her footsteps from her boots is absorbed on the carpet of discarded pine needles, that blankets the side of the roads.

Vanessa opens her car door, sticking her head out, “Max! Where are you going?” Max ignores her mother’s warning and begins a full sprint towards the figure. “Ryan, can you go get your daughter?”

Max can hear his father’s voice in the distant. “Honey, you really want me to chase after her while I’m like this-”

Max’s heart is beating fast. _Is that Rachel?_ The blood rushes throughout her small body, energizing her legs to reach to the figure.

She stops once she got about thirty feet from it. Max is very winded, huffing and breathing heavily.

The figure is partially obscured by a tree’s shadow, only can see the outline, even at this distance. Max can hear it is slowly dragging it’s feet, and walking very slowly. Max begins walking slowly towards the figure.

The figure finally walks out the shadow and into the bright moonlight, illuminating it almost with a faint blue hue. The grisly figure is slumped over, with their arm hanging down by her sides, and it is woman. She has long dark hair, that is wavy, and is wearing a light purple dress, but it looks very messy, possibly cut up, like she must have crawled out of a bush, with scrapes and cuts, and she is bleeding quite a bit.

Max looks down and sees she there is blood marks that is partially disguised from the dark colored pine needles in the ground. “Ma’am? Do you need me to call for help?” The brave 12 years old calls out.

All you can hear from the woman is a unnerving gurgling sound. Like she is choking on her own fluid in her throat, but completely impervious by it, as well. Her breathing and gurgling grows louder, as she keeps on walking.

Max inches her way closer, steadily, “Are you okay?”

The gurgling continues louder, almost like she is trying to respond with words but cannot. A raspy voice finally comes out from the figure, as some air is starting to be able to flow through her sick throat. “H-ave to make it…” Her long grimy, and bushy hair dangles down her dress. “G-Go See Kate.”

Max’s eyes widens. All the color in Max’s face drains as she feels a pulse in her throat. She says, very slowly, “Mom?”

The figure stops completely in her track, in response to Max's voice. Her head tilts up, as her neck slowly drags her head around to look at Max.

Max’s heart stops completely. All of a sudden, before Max could see her face, the world rewinds and back to the cold empty restroom.


	6. While We Sleep

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Foxy’s Treasure Island Restaurant

#### September 22th, 2007 8:01 PM

Max grasps at her chest, gasping for air, and slips falling back on her butt. She looks around in the cold and empty, but lit restroom. There is a cool draft blowing from the air vent, but it was nothing like the chill Max got from approaching the bloody figure.

Rachel is here, but Max doesn’t see her. Her hand is raised up, able to rewind everything back to both of her being in the bathroom. “Maxine?”

Max lets out a soft yelp as she crawls away on her hands, from the origin of the ghostly voice. She turns away, bracing her head, and closing her eyes. “Mom?”

Rachel runs over to her, “No Maxine, it’s me Rachel. I was able to rewind the time, and bring you back here.”

Max, with her eyes closed, begins panting, “I saw her. I saw my mom.”

Rachel lowers her eyebrow with confusion, “Yeah, we saw her at the table. She’s outside.”

Max takes a moment to catch her breath, “No...I saw my mom from my actual timeline, I think. I saw her...as a spirit. Right after she got in-...” Max grasps her chest again, as her throat tightens. “...Her spirit...I think both of my Mom and Dad’s spirit is suffering, like they’re still trying to wander to Arcadia Bay to see me.”

The thought of it sounds absolutely frightening, as well. It sounds almost too crazy for something like that to be true. But given what has happened today, anything is possible. Without much words to say, Rachel reaches out to Max, in a comforting tone, “Maxine…”

Max, still holding on to her chest, stutters, “I-I can’t...I can’t handle this anymore. Help me Rachel. There’s so many things I need to understand.”

Rachel shakes her head, “I don’t know what I can do. But tell me, what happened to me?”

Max is very spooked with everything. But now some questions from earlier, begins pouring back into the brunette’s head. “You weren’t with me at all, huh? What happened? Did you faint?”

Rachel looks down, trying to recall what happened, “When you said I was-.” She skips saying the word. “I had...a nonstop bloody nose. My eyes started bleeding too. I thought I was going to actually die.” She rubs her nose and her eyes again, and look at her fingers. There is no blood, or even any signs that a bleeding ever happened.

Max is a little shocked. She didn’t immediately know what to say. _Rachel, maybe she is linked to my timeline. Could she be a spirit that doesn’t realize she is dead? Shit...Or maybe something else? Like she is from the future, or maybe in the past?_ The thought about it puts Max down, even though she doesn’t know her. She knows Rachel was very important to Chloe. And now Rachel is helping her. “Shit...Rachel, let’s not talk any this subject for now... Let’s talk about anything else, though.”

Rachel nods her head in agreement. She doesn’t want to go through that over again, “I agree. Tell me about you and Chloe. When did you guys meet?”

Max shuts her eyes closed, trying to recall her memories. There has been so much going on, that Max’s mind is drained from all of it. “When we met, I was...8 years old, Chloe was 9.”

Rachel ponders about her timeline, “Okay, so I think I’m same age as Chloe. I know I’m about a year and two months older than you. When you and I met, the Maxine I knew was 6 years old, and I was 7. How the fuck is that possible?”

Max shakes her head, not knowing the answer, “I’m not sure.”

Rachel crouches down, right behind Max, “Shit, I moved to Arcadia Bay when I was 6. Did I live in Arcadia Bay when I was a child?”

Max shakes her head, again, “I’m not sure. Your parents are living here, though.”

Rachel’s eyes widen, “My parents? Like both my Mom and...Dad?”

Max nods her head, “Yeah they’re here.” Then she remembers their names, from the upcoming funeral service for Rachel posted in Blackwell Academy email. “Bradley and Elizabeth?”

Rachel’s head drops down slightly, “Dad…”

Max looks over her shoulder, at Rachel’s direction, even though she doesn’t see her, “Rachel?”

Rachel still looking down, “My dad died when I was 8 years old, two years after I moved to Arcadia Bay. Maybe...I stayed in Long Beach, in this timeline. But then I came to Arcadia Bay later?”

Max crawls back up, to sit on her knees, “Yes that makes sense. You met Chloe in Blackwell Academy.”

Rachel is starting to get a grasp of some things. “I see, and that is where everything happened. Max, who is that girl you were, earlier? With the hair bun?”

Now Max has the urge to be nosy with everything else. She replies to Rachel, “That is Kate. She is a good friend of mines.” Max pauses for a little bit, realizing she hasn’t told Rachel. “Rachel, in this timeline, Chloe died from a gunshot. A guy named Nathan Prescott shot her.”

Rachel crawls towards the brunette, “What? Nathan Prescott? How did he do it? And why? I know that asshole, and uh...well you too, know him.”

Max looks over her shoulder, noticing Rachel’s voice getting closer, “Really? Shit, that sounds bad. Chloe tried to blackmail Nathan to get some money. Instead, he freaked out and shot her.” She puts both of her hands on her cheeks, recalling some rumors being spread around campus. “I believed he was on some hallucination drug, too. This happened in the school's restroom.” She looks around her, in this equally damp and quiet restroom. “Like this. And that incident, was the main struggle of me trying to rewind time to fix it. I did save her at first.” She closes her eyes, eyebrows furrowed. “But in the end, there was a tornado that was going to destroy the entire town that was caused by my power. I couldn’t trade the entire town for her, so I have to rewind time to back to that scene, to undo my action..." Her voice became almost silent, "...letting her die.”

Rachel is trying to digest all of it. _I did see the tornado in one my vision._ “So a tornado destroyed the town? Shit, that must been tough choice. To sacrifice-.” Max shakes her head, not wanting any sympathy from Rachel. Rachel's head drops, “I’m sorry.”

Max brings her hand away from her face. “Yeah...It still fresh in my mind.” She begins rubbing her elbows, in a nervous manner. “I’m still not sure if I made the right decision. If Chloe survived, so would have my parents. But then the whole town going to die.” She leans back slightly, looking up at the ceiling. Or maybe to some higher beings up there. “Do you think I’m being punished for something?”

Rachel nods her head in agreement. “To be honest, I do think the power is given to us for some reason. Or maybe the higher beings, have a sick sense of humor for us. But we have the power to change our fate.”

Max closes her eyes, slowly. “I see. Maybe I’m not strong enough.”

Rachel reaches over, almost wanting to pat on Max’s back. “You are very strong person Maxine. I know it.”

“Rachel? How am I in your timeline?” Max is curious, how Rachel knows her.

Rachel takes a deep breath, “You...and I are best friends.”

Max nods her head. _Wow, her timeline is so different than mines._ “Did something happen to me?”

Rachel shakes her head and closes her eyes. She is ready to spill just about all of her thoughts, whether or not Max cares about it. Almost like she confessing and justifying her actions. “No, Maxine. I just feel like our friendship could be falling apart, slowly. I did feel bad because you had to choose me over your parents. So your parents and I have a bad relationship.” She opens one of her eyes, looking at Max. “But seeing how happy you are with them...I’m thinking if I should consider letting the Maxine I know, meet up with her parents again, and give them a shot.” Max’s eyebrows lowers, not agreeing with what Rachel has to say, or at least how much control she has. Max slowly gets up from the ground and standing on her feet. Rachel, now with a more powerful tone, “And if they still hates me or something else happens, I’m going to rewind and remove them from her life again.”

Max crosses her arms, very bothered. “Rachel...you seems very obsessive. That is an awful thing to do.”

Rachel glowers at Max, “Oh fuck off. You don’t know me.”

Max holds her hands up, shaking her head, “No, I mean I don’t know how I am in the other one. But that is an awful thing to control, and I would be terrified by you.”

Offended by Max's comment, Rachel becomes irritated and defensive, “That’s why I’m telling just you. Cause I don’t give a damn about you. There is nothing positive that comes out with being your friend here. The real version of you still have a crippled relationship with me, and that's the one I care about." She lets out a quick exhale, looking at her right hand. "But I got the fucking power to change everything, to how I like it. Unlike you, who just lets people slip away in your damn hands.” Rachel gives a pause, sensing the sadness in Max’s silence. Rachel is breathing very hard from that explosion of emotions, but quickly dies down in almost regretful feeling. “...Sorry I didn’t mean that.”

Max puts her head on her forehead. She doesn’t blame Rachel for saying what she said. She also agrees, partially with some of it. Her timeline and future is pretty messed up, and Max starting to lose interest in it as well, “There no reason for you to be. I just lost my best friend and my parents. I have no one left.”

Rachel stands back up on her feet, “Maxine...I’m very sorry.”

Chloe enters the bathroom door, “Hey Constipated Max, What’s taking you so long? We were going to order some desserts.”

Rachel holds her hand out, and rewinds a little bit, so Chloe is out of the room and it just them two. “Okay, I think I’m starting to get the hang of this.” She looks over and sees Max is back on the ground.

Max almost bumps her head into the wall, in surprise she went back to the floor, “Wowser, you really can rewind time, and it affects me and my position.”

Rachel is unaffected with her time rewind, and is still standing up, “You still remember what we talked about, right?”

Max gets back up on her feet, “Yes. I remember, what I’m worth to you in this timeline.”

Rachel shakes her head. “For just this one time, I wish my rewind can take back what I said to you. I didn’t mean that.”

Max pats down her pants, "It's fine. But please, I know it a different _me_ , and maybe I'm biased because I lost my parents..." She slips her hands in her pocket, her body hunched over. Her voice becomes quiet, almost like a whisper, "I really miss them."

Rachel bites her lips, and subtly nods her head. "Okay." It does pain Rachel seeing Max struggle with the loss of her parents, so she tries to change the subject, "I-I don't even exist here. I’m sure I mean nothing to you in this timeline as well.

Max shrugs her shoulder. “I would like to get to know you, Rachel. I’m little skeptic about time travel, that why I’m not as confident with it as you are. Maybe it is a limitation in my power. Or maybe I don’t have the guts to take a risk for the people I love.” She flutters her eyes closed, tilting her head up. “And I hate myself for that.”

Rachel lets out a long sigh. “I wish I can give you a hug. But...We’ll see what we can do, to help each other out. But first, let’s do something about this timeline.”

Max opens her eyes. “Yeah, let’s work on a plan now.”

Rachel nods her head, “It seems we could be stuck here, or at least forced to live this out. I don’t want to be a ghost for this long.”

Max smiles, and also nods, “I don’t blame you.” 

Rachel remembers something, “Before we talk about the plan, that girl...Chloe. Her father just got murdered today, in my timeline.”

Max’s mouth opens slightly, “Really? Do you know who? What happened?”

Rachel scratches her chin, “Well, _you_ went to Nathan’s 21th birthday.” She rests her chin on the knuckles on her hand. “Then, later on Chloe and her father saw you walking around aimlessly in the streets. You were drugged and they took care of you.” Then, she remembers something very awful. “I’m worried, because I believe you may have been raped, as well. I haven’t forgotten about that. I’m going to murder someone.”

Max couldn’t stop thinking about ‘The Dark Room’, and Mark Jefferson. But she is afraid to bring that up to her. “Rachel...”

Rachel continues, “Chloe’s father wanted to find out who was responsible for drugging you. I was with you and Chloe, and Chloe’s father wandered off by himself. Then he got shot and killed. Chloe went after him and she actually got shot and killed as well, but that triggered my power.”

Max closes her eyes shut, “So Chloe got killed then?”

Rachel shakes her head, “I was able to go back and save Chloe.”

Max’s tone becomes more concerning, “That is what caused the tornado in this timeline, with me saving Chloe. There were some odd signs leading up to it, like snowing in 80 degrees weather.” She opens her eyes, and looks towards Rachel. “But your power seems very different than mines.”

Rachel nods, even though she not completely sure what Max’s power is capable of compares to hers, “Yeah, so far I haven’t noticed anything strange yet. But I will keep that in mind. I was thinking if I could save Chloe’s father. Assuming nothing get wrong. Chloe was very devastated for it, and I feel like I owe them. Before her father’s death, she was very chirpy. I really like that about her.”

Max thinks about how she saved Williams, and how much he loved Chloe, “Yeah, he is very important to her. And Chloe is a full of life. One thing that really I loved about her.” Rachel rolls her eyes, a little bit. A small amount of jealousy enters again in Rachel, despite her agreeing with Max. “That would be very nice, if you can.”

“I don’t know how many people there are or who they are. But I do know they were armed with guns. I have my powers, but what if it fails me?” says Rachel.

Max smiles, very pleased to hear Rachel is willing to help Chloe. “Then you be safe for now. You don’t have to do it, if you feel uncomfortable. But I have a feeling you will become very strong and able to control it.”

Rachel chuckles, “Thanks Max. Okay, let’s actually get back on our plan now.”

Max nods, “Sounds good.”

Rachel crosses her arm. The thought of being stuck in time, is terrifying. Her head scans all around the walls of the restroom. “Can you tell me what happens in the near future? Like after our conversation in this restroom?”

Max looks at the restroom door, “Chloe only entered the door earlier because I was taking so long. But before I went back to our table quicker, and finished eating. Then we said our goodbyes, then Chloe joined me and my parents on our ride home.”

Rachel approaches Max, reaching her hand to hold her shoulder, “This power thing, there isn’t words to describe how to control it. I feel I can switch it, so I think it’ll goes forward in time. Even though I’m a spooky ghost in this form, holding onto your shoulder seems to lock me with you in time and place. That how we came back here.”

Max’s posture stiffens up, she scratches her head. “Rachel, I was thinking about if you can fast forward, I want to look at that figure. And really see if that figure is my mother.”

Rachel looks down, and speaks in a solemnly voice, “Max...I just had a breakdown thinking about my...you know. I want to stay away from these type of things, for now.” Though Max is slightly disappointed, she nods her head, that it is probably the best for Rachel, and even for herself. “We have some other things to worry about, first. Then maybe another time.”

Max looks down. _I’m going to the viewing of my parents’ corpse. I can confirm it with that. But the part I’m skeptical, is why do I see them this far back? Maybe it is combination of Rachel’s power, that spirits travel almost out of time. Like the spirit doe in the junkyard, was unaffected by my time rewind._ She looks over her shoulder towards Rachel’s direction, “Yeah, you’re right. Yes, please help me with it another time?”

Rachel nods her head, “Yeah. Okay, let do some time travel and secure our future.”

Max loosens her body up, to be prepared, “Sure.”

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Foxy’s Treasure Island Restaurant Parking Lot

#### September 22th, 2007 9:08 PM

Rachel fast forwards time, and finds themselves outside in the parking lot of the restaurant. It is a very cool night outside, and the parking lot is illuminated by the tall street lamps, and the warm colored glow from the restaurant itself. There is Joyce, Max, Vanessa and Chloe near each other, while William and Ryan were having their own conversation, a short distance away.

“Goodbye Max-” Joyce eyes in horror, as Maxine’s body stumbling into the ground. She quickly lunges out to grab her.

“Woah! Oops sorry Joyce. I’m so clumsy.” Max grips on Joyce’s arms, with an embarrassed laughter. She got disoriented with the time travel, and didn’t remember to use her leg muscles to keep standing. 

“It’s alright little pirate. I got you, Max.” Joyce lets out a soft chuckle, carefully lifting Max back onto her feet.

Max scratches her head in embarrassment, grinning back at her. Then she looks around with curious eyes for an invisible Rachel. She clears her throat, with some louder emphasis.

“Yes, Maxine. I’m here.” Rachel flails her arm around at Max. She snaps her fingers, “Now, say something really stupid, and see if it affects the future.” 

Max slowly releases Joyce’s grip, scratching her chin, thinking about what to say, that they’ll remember. Then a light bulb popped up in the brunette's head. She smiles at Joyce, showing her teeth, “Hey Joyce!”, also grabbing the attention of her mother and Chloe.

Joyce presses her hands down on her knees, hunching her body over slightly, in a playful way, “Yes, birthday girl?”

Max tips her nose up in the air. “Are you ready for the moshpit, shaka brah?”

Rachel raises her eyebrow, “...the fuck?”

Joyce’s jaw drops slightly, and her face looks back with an absence of any expression. “Huh?”

Max presses her lips together, closing her eyes, and nodding her head. “Yep. Yep. Rachel get me out of here.”

Rachel sidetracks a bit, admiring Max's smile, and chuckles at it, “Maxine, it is refreshing to see your smile.”

Chloe moves her head right in front of Max's, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Max’s eyes looks left and right, in desperation. “Rachel, now!”

“Okay.” Rachel grips her right hand and winds forward in time.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### 26 West Freeway

#### September 22th, 2007 10:38 PM

They were in the car, with Vanessa driving, and Ryan and Chloe. Just like how it was before with just Max.

“Okay, now ask Chloe, if you said anything stupid to her mother,” says Rachel.

Max nods her head, and turn towards the blond pirate. “Hey Chloe, did I say something stupid to your mother?”

Chloe lets out a laughter immediately, “I’m still not over that. What is shaka brah?” Chloe grins at Max with her usual smile.

“Yes Max, what in the world is that? I was about to Google on what the hell that is. And who’s Rachel?” Vanessa looks in the rear view mirror with a confused look.

“Well, then...I love you too, Mommy. Okay, get me out of here.” Max waves goodbye at her mother, through the rear view mirror.

“Huh?” Vanessa’s eyes widens, and jaws dropped.

Rachel holds out her hand, and rewinds all the way back to the bathroom.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Foxy’s Treasure Island Restaurant

#### September 22th, 2007 8:01 PM

“Okay, we are back at the bathroom to undo whatever…’Sha-Kon shit’ you just said.” Rachel face palms her face.

Max looks over at her, “Rachel, it seems when you fast forward in time. My body just gets taken over naturally like what it is destined to do. It is kind of like the ‘return aspect’ in my photo jump ability.”

“What is your photo jump ability, Max?” Rachel raises her eyebrow.

Max explains, “When I look at pictures that have myself in it, I can return to that memory, but it is limited. I cannot move too far out the area and I don’t have as much time before it collapses. After it collapses, I return back to my original timeline, where I left off, but with all the changes. So in between, there is like an automatic version of myself.”

Rachel brushes her hair, a little amused to see someone else with similar abilities. “I see, that makes sense. That is pretty impressive. So it is a bit similar to my power.”

Max points her index finger up in the air, in an adorable way. It seems the youth and lively Max is coming back out. “Except, it is a one big rewind and one big fast forward. Yours, it seems like you can control it in much more precise sections. And yours seems much more stable, so far. I remember mines starting to look very distorted, but it could just be how it looks. I’m not sure.”

Rachel never thought about what unexpected consequences her actions can have. “Okay, we’ll just have to be careful and make sure that doesn't happen with my power.”

Max replies, “Sounds good.”

“Alright, we are just going to fast forward to car ride, skipping the conversation with Joyce.” Rachel briefs Max, and then fast forwards in time.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### 26 West Freeway

#### September 22th, 2007 10:38 PM

Max turns her body towards Chloe, playfully tugging on her sleeves. “Hey Chloe, did I say something stupid to your mother?”

“Hmm...I don’t think so. Define stupid.” Chloe looks back with a confused look, and returns back the favor of tugging back on Max’s sleeve.

“Like…’Ready for the moshpit, shaka brah’ stupid?” Max snickers, amused with the fact that Chloe’s fingers is imitating hers.

“Uh no?” She lets out a short chuckle. “That is pretty stupid. Where do you come up with this crap?” She reaches over to squeezes Max’s cheeks.

“I know, right?”, Max's voice forces out through her pinched cheeks. She reaches over to pinch back Chloe’s cheeks.

“Hey!” Chloe pulls Max's arm aside.

“Wowser, this is kind of neat,” Max turns to her other side, to face Rachel.

Rachel rewinds back in time, back to the bathroom.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Foxy’s Treasure Island Restaurant

#### September 22th, 2007 8:01 PM

Rachel brushes her hand in a cool, laid-back fashion. “Okay, cool we can control our actions by taking control when we need to, and we can wipe out our actions by rewinding before the action. Let’s rewind back to where you took the picture with Chloe, then we undo anything up to this point. Then after we rewind, I’m going to go far into the future.”

“Rachel, your power is insane! But sure, sounds good,” says Max in a excited tone, for the first time tonight.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Foxy’s Treasure Island Restaurant

#### September 22th, 2007 7:47 PM

“You two are so adorable,” the photographer smiles at the two girls.

Rachel puts her hands up, right away, to not cause any more changes to this timeline. She, now winds forward much farther in time.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy 1F

#### October 7th, 2013 4:14 PM

Rachel’s eyes open slowly, not exactly sure where she is going to wind up with her power. It feels a bit cold, but maybe just a chill of uneasiness striking her at her spine. She looks around, finding herself in what appears to be inside of a school. It appears to be very up-scaled and prestigious looking, as she is standing in a hallway or large opening area, right next to the women’s restroom door. There is a small crowd of people, murmuring among each other, with their full attention directing towards something. Something is wrong.

Rachel recognizes Kate and Victoria standing in the back, their faces is filled with worry and confusion. Victoria has her hands covering her face, but Rachel can tell its her from the distinct clothing style and pixie-cut hair. Kate has her hands firmly together, pressing against her lips, with her eyes closed, like she is praying to someone dear to her. They both look incredibly sad, along with everyone else in the group.

Rachel notices Max is right in front of her, but as her older body, like back in the police station. She is surrounded by people wearing dark blue uniforms, that looks like medical personnel.

A man cries out, but Rachel doesn’t see the origin of the voice. “Chloe, hang in there!”

The name lifts Rachel's head, wincing in anticipation of something very bad is happening. She slowly passes through the crowd, like an apparition to see what Max is doing. A blue haired young woman, around Rachel and Max's age, is being strapped into a medical stretcher. She has a respirator strapped to her face, covering her nose and mouth. There are a lot of blood coming from her abdomen, bleeding through her bandage wraps. While the paramedics are busy buckling the straps around the edge of the stretcher, Max loses her balance, falling down to a kneel. She holds onto the blue haired girl’s hand in desperation. Rachel comes forward, taking a closer look at blue haired girl, realizing it is Chloe. But her hair is cut shorter, dyed blue, and wearing more punk-looking clothes.

“Chloe…” Max cries into her hand, her voice trails into soft sobs, unable to talk anymore. _I never seen this before. After I let Chloe died, the next thing I remembered was her funeral. I missed everything in between._

Chloe’s fingers interlock softly with Max’s, squeezing it weakly. Her eyes slowly opens too, but she seems almost unaware of her surroundings. There are some tears in the corner of her eyes. “Max?” She whispers, barely audible, through her respirator and among the loud murmuring of the crowd. Her eyebrows raise slightly, from the discovery of her long lost, childhood best friend is now right beside her. But quickly after, her looks weaken, drifting down to the side, unable to maintain focus.

“Miss, you need to step back,” the paramedic scolds at Max, then bumps into her, to push her aside. Max falters back and collapse onto the ground, pressing against the wall. She curls both her knees up, and place her head on it.

One of the paramedic begins talking on his radio, probably to communicate with the current status, as the other paramedics begins pushing the gurney away.

Max tilts her head to the side, so she can see the stretcher moving away from her. _I remember David telling me what happened. Chloe passed out after she got shot. Then she woke up briefly just to realize it was me. He told me, I was in shock, and that my tongue were tied, and I couldn't think of anything to say to her in the moment._

Rachel crouches down, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go to this...time. I’ll fast forward a little more?”

Max stands up, ignoring Rachel's words, and marches towards the moving group of paramedics. She catches up to the stretcher, grabbing Chloe’s hand, and move in closer to her face. “Chloe…” She hesitates, with an anguished look. The close-up view of her best friend dying, almost paralyzes Max’s tongue. It is haunting to see her best friend in this condition, and to know the outcome of it. Chloe looks back with weak eyes, but slightly stronger than before. Her body and face is trembling slightly, like she can still feel the pain despite the pain-killer medications. Or perhaps she is not ready to depart this tormenting world, with so many things she is looking forward to.

“Ma’am, I said you have to step away,” the paramedic pulls her arm. Chloe’s eyes drift slightly to the paramedic, like she wants to shoo him away with her silence. Max ignores the paramedic, and throws his arm down.

Max leans in closer, until her face is only a few inches from Chloe's, squeezing her hands even more. “Listen Chloe...I’m so sorry. I'm sorry about everything. I’m sorry for not being there when I was in Seattle.” 

The paramedics stops pushing the stretcher, and one of them tries to grab Max, but she pushes him back with a surprising amount of force. David Madsen, calls out towards her, “Max, what are you doing?”

Unaffected by them, Max comes back close to Chloe, tears dripping down from her eyes. “I want you to live, and Rachel wants you to live. I want to continue our adventures like when we were little kids. Promise me, okay? I love you, Chloe. I've always loved you.” Chloe has the respiratory breather that covers her nose and mouth, preventing what Max wants to do next. Instead, Max flutters her eyes close, causing her tears to drip down onto Chloe's neck. She leans her head over and plants her lips onto Chloe’s forehead, for a few warm seconds. _This is what I've always wanted._

Both paramedics grabs Max is able to pull her away from Chloe, but the brunette still does not break eye contact, even with the paramedics scolding at her harshly right into her ears.

Chloe can hear Max’s words, but she can't respond to them. Tears begins dripping from the blue haired girl's eyes as well, but she can’t do anything else but to stare back at her best friend with dying eyes.

The paramedics, then returns to the stretcher and pulls her away. David gives Max one last glance, seeing the distress Max is in. He realizes she has a history with Chloe, and a very strong bond, as well. He walks away following after the paramedics. 

Max’s eyes continue to follow the stretcher until it finally leaves out of the building and out of sight. _She’s going to die on the way to the hospital. They couldn’t resuscitate her. Kate told me this._

Rachel creeps up besides Max, looking at the entryway that Chloe got pushed through, then back at Max. Rachel reaches her hand to Max’s hand, wishing she can hold it. She knows she made a mistake of bringing Max to this missing memory. “I’m so sorry Max.” 

Max doesn’t acknowledge Rachel’s apology, because she didn’t do anything wrong. All she did is reveal a very important missing memory in her life, that remained invisible in her sleep. Max’s face looks almost devoid of life, as she continues to stare blankly out of the blinding bright entryway, that contrast with the darker interior. Just like William, Chloe drifts off into the light to never come back to Max’s life. To see her best friend dying, slipping away, and not too long after this, her parents will follow. Both her mother and father is going to die. More and more, she loses interest and hope in this life. This isn’t a life Max wants to live or experience anymore.

Rachel observes at Max’s blank stare and pressed lips. She just lost her best friend and she couldn't do anything about it. Emptiness fills her body, and any lingering hope are now gone from her eyes. Rachel is not even sure if the Max in her timeline would give her that same stare, if she was to die. There is something very special between them two. Rachel looks down, pressing her knuckles into her lips. There is envy bellowing up inside her, but she isn't exactly mad. It is odd, but the same hopelessness and emptiness fills inside Rachel as well. 

She presses her hand into her forehead, pondering any thoughts to fill this void in herself. She has to move on, and think about moving onto the future again, but there is one thing she has to ask Max, first. _I think Max altered her past. Including that kiss…_ She may want to keep that, and accept it as an action to alter the future. And also perhaps, maybe ease Chloe's spirit and her final moments a little more. “Do you want me to rewind first to undo everything you just did, before continuing back to the future?” 

Max blinks her eyes close, giving a short exhale. It seems like she is finally registering Rachel's words. She opens her eyes, staring at the blinding entryway. Her eyebrows lower slightly.

“No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: This chapter was very interesting for me to write. There were parts that I have to recap from previous parts, including parts from the video games, and trying 'mechanics' out, which created lots of dialogues. But the other parts, I did enjoy being creative and exploring new areas. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter.  
> 9/22/16 : Thanks to user Xemtlenc for pointing out that Jefferson class is after 4PM. Had to adjust for the final scene in this chapter.


	7. Longing for a Relief

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Hospital – Room 302

#### August 24th, 2016 9:34 AM

Rachel wakes up from one of the cushioned chairs in the hospital room that Maxine was staying in. There is a warm, early morning light that breaks through the white, plain-looking blinds of the hospital windows. She looks down at her own body, and is surprised she was able to stay on this chair while she was sleeping, and it didn’t tipped over. The amount of sleep she got isn't nearly enough but still feels satisfying given the exhausting previous night. She takes a deep breath and squeezes her eyes close tightly, to wet her dry eyes from the arid air of the hospital. 

She opens her eyes, leaning over the armrest of the chair, and let her arm dangle in the air, drifting back and forth like a pendulum. She stares at it blankly, almost cross-eyed, pondering about last night.

_I passed out in Maxine’s room when I got to the hospital. The nurse said she requested that only I can see her. I felt pretty happy that she requested that. She was already deep asleep when I got there, and I don’t blame her at all. She went through a lot but, at same time, I doubt she remembered anything. Last night, Chloe texted me about helping to cover short shift for Joyce later at 1pm._

Rachel looks over to her side and reaches for her phone on the nearby empty chair. She looks at the text message conversation from Chloe, earlier this morning.

> **Chloe:** hey are you up? (4:08 AM)
> 
> **Rachel:** I’m done fine. You two should go to sleep. (4:09 AM)
> 
> **Chloe:** yea i cannot go to sleep. i cannot believe he is gone. i really dont want to stay at home thinking about it (4:09AM)
> 
> **Chloe:** but my mom is lonely and wants me to sleep next to her. rachel i know it is late notice, but can you work a short shift 1pm tomorrow? my mom cant go to work for a while and may need some extra help at diner. and we may have to go to the damn police station, again. (4:09AM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Sure Chloe. I’m going to see Maxine at hospital, then try to get some sleep finally. (4:10 AM)
> 
> **Chloe:** let her know i hope she gets better. i would text her but I rather you tell her. im going to swing by tomorrow during your shift. i wanna hear what you wanna say (4:11 AM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Sure, good night (4:12 AM)

Rachel clicks the power button on the side of the phone to turn off the display of the phone. Her eyes spaces out in the emptiness of the dark phone screen.

_The Maxine in that timeline, I guess people call her 'Max'. She seems far more timid and reserved. I know she is a totally different person, and I think to myself, why do I bother helping her? Maybe I would like to know some answers, to prevent myself from screwing things up in my timeline. But the more I learn about her and be with her, the more I feel very connected with her. It’s odd...Perhaps it because we share similar powers._

_It was a total mess to go through her memories with her best friend, Chloe. Makes me wonder if they were in a secret relationship? Or it is something a little too late that never truly developed? I’m very worried for Max, as I feel something self-destructive is looming ahead of her. She seems conflicted with her powers and her fate. Eventually, it is going to reach a critical limit, and something big is going to happen. I wonder if I can fast forward to see into her future. But I’m not sure if she wants to see into her future. It may not be good._

_Max also decided to change her past by giving Chloe a kiss in front of everyone. It seems like a small change, but I wonder if it’ll cascade into something bigger because of it?_

“Morning.” A soft voice causes Rachel to tilt her head over to see Maxine, who is awake and has been watching her, with a growing smile. “I was wondering when you were going to wake up, but you had a long night.”

Rachel, lets out a soft sigh of relief and pulls aside her blanket and to up, stretching her legs. “Morning, you.” Rachel bites her lips nervously, being reminded about the other Max. _The Max in the other timeline is suffering, and is on the verge of a complete mental collapse. I won't let this Max follow her._ She lets out a half sincere smile, while stretching her arms out, relieving the muscle aches she accumulated from sleeping in this position.

She gets up and walk towards the brunette, to the side of her bed. Maxine swings her head to the side, giving her to a signal, to come over to a spot in the small bed right next to her.

Rachel leans close to Maxine, and presses her lips into her cheeks, then lift her head back a few inches.

Maxine looks back dearly into Rachel’s eyes. She, then pulls her arm who is tucked underneath her blanket and pull Rachel’s arm, causing her to topple over slightly. Maxine breaks her short fall by pressing her lips into Rachel’s neck.

Rachel’s body squirms with the sudden sensation on her sensitive neck, as she bites her lips and gasping, “Uh-” She lets out a nervous breath, curling her fingers in bliss. “I want to talk to you, but you were asleep last night.” Maxine grabs Rachel’s head, pushing it back slightly. She opens her mouth, blowing soft, warm air up close and all across her neck. Rachel rolls her eyes up and her toes curls inside her shoes. Her voice trails off into the warm air around them. “Max…”

Maxine stops immediately, lifting her head away, “Okay that was gross.” She pushes Rachel back a little. “Don’t call me, Max.” Rachel’s eyes lowers a little, almost shivering a little bit, with the sudden loss of warm sensation on her neck.

Maxine, fixes and readjust the blanket over her body. “It's okay..." She mutters in a softer voice, "You probably wondering what happened last night, huh?”

Rachel rubs her knuckles on her fingers across the warm trail Maxine left on her neck, and along her hair and ponytail. _Oops, that was bad. Called her ‘Max’._ She lets out a soft exhale, “Y-yeah...tell me what happened.”

Maxine glances at Rachel, then back straight at her blanket. “I don’t really know to be honest. I just don’t trust anyone...” She comes in closer, but Rachel backs away avoiding eye contact. “Just you...And I’m sorry about-.” Maxine clarifies, “Before when I was leaving for the party.”

Rachel still looking away, ignoring Maxine’s apology, “I really want to know. Did the doctor check you out if you were...raped?” She is not prepared to hear Maxine’s answer, but she has to ask it.

Maxine shakes her head. “They woke me up with the result, but nothing in terms of that.” 

Rachel looks back at Maxine, letting out a sigh of relief with a smile. Maxine rolls her eyes, however and Rachel catches it, “What with the eye roll?”

Maxine begins tracing circles with her index finger on the blanket. “Just stupid, really.” There is a moment of pause, as Maxine contemplates about what to say next to Rachel. “Okay, promise me you won’t overreact?”

Rachel leans back slightly, crossing her arms. “I don’t know.” She tilts her head side way, shifting a few dangling bangs on her forehead. “You want a free card to say whatever you want without me reacting to it?”

Maxine bites her lips, “I’m not going to tell you, then.”

Rachel uncrosses her arm, and lifts her hand up, giving a gesture. “Fine, tell me.”

Maxine hesitates, but without any other choices, she is eager to tell Rachel, despite how she will react to it. “Okay, me and Nathan were making out.” Rachel lets out a grossed out sigh, rolling her eyes. She lifts her hand, but stops short of palming it into her face. Maxine continues, “And...well we didn’t do it. I mean I wanted to...”

Rachel blinks slowly in annoyance, “Maxine...that is...”

Maxine’s eyes widen, “But we didn’t. I got upset, and left the room. And feeling rejected…” Maxine lifts her hand up giving her gesture, like ‘Please don’t hurt me’, “Okay next part is really stupid.”

Rachel presses her lips, shaking her head, “Can’t get any worse. What is it?”

Maxine’s eyes lower from Rachel’s uninviting and negative tone. “Feeling so rejected, I just wanted a drink, so I grabbed this drink that didn’t seem touched and just downed it.”

Rachel clenches her jaws, and exhales through her teeth, “That is so fucking stupid.”

Maxine nods her face in agreement, “I know Rachel.” She continues, in a softer voice. "That is what got me sick."

Rachel continues with her furious tone, “So many bad things could have happened to you. I mean your bra was missing, I fucking got so pissed. To think how humiliated you must have been.”

Maxine’s eye widens, lifting her index finger up, “Oh...that? Yeah I kind of...took off my bra when I was making out with Nathan. When I got rejected, I just stormed out with it, forgetting to put it back on.”

Anger slowly seeps out of Rachel’s body, unable to keep a straight face, Rachel grins at Maxine. “Well I'm fine with that type of humiliation..." Maxine smiles back in response to Rachel's lighter tone. "So he going to find it in the room, and he going to look at your size, and be like, ‘Just what I imagine it to be’”

Maxine laughs and slap Rachel’s arm playfully, “You know what? Fuck you.” She glances at Rachel’s larger bumps on her chest. “Not everyone is as gifted as you are.” She squeezes her chin lightly, and sticks her head for a closer look. “Hmm…”

Rachel looks down at her own chest, meeting halfway of Maxine’s stare. She presses up her left breast to lift it up, letting out a soft laugh, and pinching Maxine's curious nose. “You have no idea how relieved that makes me feel with you getting rejected.” She lets out a louder laughter, pressing her hand on her face. She turns towards Maxine, and continues with a soft tone, running her hand from her nose, down to her chin. “But still...we don’t know what happened the rest of the night.”

Maxine takes her eyes off her chest to meet her eyes, “I know, I’m going to keep an eye around. Nathan and Kristine wants to visit me.”

Rachel tilts her head, in confusion, trying to recall her memories. “Who Kristine?”

Maxine replies, “Nathan’s sister”. She lets out a long exhale, “She is a pretty girl.”

Rachel’s eyes lowers, thinking a little bit more. _More Prescotts...can’t be good news._ “Do you trust them?”

Maxine gives a soft nod, “Yeah, a bit...But same time, I don’t know what happen to me afterwards, and winding up meeting that girl and her father.”

Rachel’s eyes drifts away, thinking about Chloe and her father, “Maxine...”

Maxine presses her hand onto her forehead, combing her bangs, “I know Rachel. I heard what happened with the father. I feel very bad.”

Rachel reaches over gripping her hand who is resting on top of the blanket, “It’s not your fault, Maxine.”

Maxine runs her fingers down her long wavy hair, “I feel awful. If I didn't mess up..." Her fingers pauses halfway down her hair. "I don’t remember much but they seem like amazing people.”

“Yes they are, I got a chance to talk to her.”

Maxine playing the ends of her hair, curling it into a loop in her finger, like she is day dreaming, “The girl, what is her name? Chloe?”

“Yeah. She very sweet too.”

Maxine still staring at her finger, “Uh-huh...must be terrible for her to...” Maxine couldn't finish her sentence.

Rachel gives a soft shake to Maxine’s hand, getting her attention, “Maxine, there is something I need to tell you.

Maxine looks back at her, “What is it Rachel?”

“Last night, there was more than just you getting drugged.” Maxine gives a soft nod, letting Rachel to continue her story. “You won’t believe this but I found out I can rewind time.”

Maxine’s mouth opens, but couldn’t decide if she wants to laugh in disbelief or scoff. “Uh, you must be on something...”

Rachel squeezes Maxine’s hands, interlocking with her fingers. “No, it is true. When we first heard the gunshots, Chloe ran ahead of me, and she got shot and killed.” Maxine looks down at her hand, with Rachel’s firm grip. “But I was able to rewind time to prevent her death, but not her father’s.”

Maxine still looking down, sensing Rachel’s seriousness but still cannot believe what she is hearing. “Maybe you’re just feeling a little...off, Rachel.”

“Shut up. You always believed me with everything.” She glares at Maxine with disgust. _I need you to believe me on this, Maxine._

Maxine closes her eyes, letting out slow sigh. “But this is...something else.”

Rachel nods her head and replies quickly, “I can prove it to you”

Maxine crosses her arms in annoyance, “Sure, try it.”

Rachel takes a deep breath, calming her nerves. _Gosh, I hope last night isn't all a fluke._ She reaches out her right hand, freezing the time. But quickly, she realizes she cannot rewind the time in her human form, but only freezes time, including herself. She glances around nervously, “Shit...” She recalled she was able to move when time froze, when Chloe got killed. _Was that a one time thing? Or was it driven by my emotions?_

Maxine tilts her head, in almost snobbish way, looking at Rachel's right hand. “You done?”

Rachel paces around the room, with her right hand out and squinting her eyes, hoping something pops up. Then, a rift appears, causing Rachel's eyes to lighten up. She peers into it, as it looks like this same room with only Maxine sleeping, possibly from earlier time. She turns to Maxine, “This may or may not prove anything, but hang on a second.” She walks into the rift.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Hospital – Room 302

#### August 24th, 2016 3:47 AM

Rachel exits the rift in the same room as expected. Maxine is completely unconscious, but she looks very peaceful in her sleep. There is a female nurse approaching up to Maxine in her bed, and pulling the blanket up and tucking her in, making sure her body stays warm in the cool hospital air.

"Thanks," Rachel mutters quietly in a soft voice, to the nurse. The nurse turns around almost as if she reacted to Rachel's word, but instead she gives Maxine one last look before heading out the door, and very gently closing it behind her.

Rachel takes a step closer towards Maxine, being reminded again the vulnerable state Maxine was put into last night. _I need to find out who did this to you..._

The door opens behind Rachel, grabbing her attention, causing her to turn around. It was a male nurse, that is a little older with dark hair. Rachel whips her body around, glaring at him, as he seems very suspicious. He glances around the room, as if to make sure no one was watching him. He leans in close to tuck Maxine in, even though the female nurse before, already did a great job. He pauses, and gives a quick look back at the door, then back staring at Maxine's peaceful face. He creeps closer, admiring Maxine's vulnerable face deeply, as she gives out a soft and quiet rhythmic puff of air out of her mouth. He comes in closer that his body is pressed against the bed, and leans in closer to Maxine. He raises his hand and brushes Maxine’s hair, and then rubs his index and middle fingers right across her moist lips.

Rachel steps closer to the side of the nurse, “What the fuck, are you doing?”

The male nurse slides his finger into Maxine's mouth, as her lips gently closes against his fingers with mild pressure, and she releases it involuntary, in repetitions. Her breathing continues normally despite his fingers partially obstructing it. He, then slides his fingers deep into Maxine’s unconscious mouth and along her tongue, and then back out, almost in rhythm with her breathing. His fingers glisten with Maxine's saliva covering it. He repeats over and over, that even his body slightly went along with the motion. His eyes rolls back up and his mouth opens, giving very light moans.

Rachel looks on in disgust and is absolutely furious, “Fucking stop it, now!” She walks right up to next to him with clenched fists. But of course he doesn’t hear her at all. Rachel glances at his uniform, seeing his name tag, ‘Ted’. At the very least, she can remember the name of this person to tear him apart, since she is helpless to do anything at this moment.

The male nurse takes his fingers out of Maxine’s mouth, and he sticks it inside the front part of his pants. Rachel looks away in disgust, not wanting to know what he is doing in his pants. He leans in close to Maxine's head, with his full tongue sticking out and running it over the side of her face.

Rachel is seething with rage, standing right behind him. She throws a punch at him, but it went through him. “I'm going to murder you!” She looks onto his side, right up to his ear, and lets out a scream of anguish. She winds up, and then throw a second punch making contact, causing a loud crashing sound. Ted's body to repel backwards sharply through Rachel’s body, also startling her. The rage in her body instantly leaves her body, as her body is struck with pure shock from the sudden surprise.

Immediately, Ted takes his hands out of his pants. He glances all around the room like he just heard a ghost and then quickly hurries out the room.

Rachel looks at the door that Ted ran out of, then she looks down, crouching to the floor. She sees a pen rolled underneath the bed. _Did I do that? I was able to push something while I’m in this form?_ She must have done that, causing Ted to freak out.

 _Maybe with concentration I can move something small..._ Rachel gets down on her knees, and crawl to where the pen is.

She stares at the pen, trying to concentrate her mind on it. _Okay, focus._ She slows her breath, and swallowing to clear her throat. She reaches down and place her hand, ready to snap at the pen. She takes a nice slow breath, and then she snaps it. No contact.

She lets out a exhale of disappointment, putting her head down low to the ground, hovering above the pen. _I swear...I heard and felt the loud crash..._

Rachel raises her head back up, still keeping eye contact with the pen. She lets in a long inhale, and creeps her head closer to the pen again. She prepares to snap the pen, tightening the muscles in her hand, causing her hand to shake, involuntarily. "Here's-goes-nothing," she says in a singing tone. Her eyebrow lowers, and she snaps again, creating a loud thundering sound, launching the pen a measly three inches away. Rachel's eyebrows raises in joy, "I fucking did it!". She lifts her body up and again, the thundering sound again, causing Rachel to crash back to the ground and grabbing the back of her head. "Ow, what the fuck?!?!"

Maxine begins stirring right above her as Rachel can hear her toss over to her side.

Rachel's pain went away with her discovery. _Did I just bump my head into her bed?_ She rolls out of the bed gently, and climb back on her feet. _Holy shit that's awesome. I'm not sure what I'm doing different though._ Rachel clenches her fists in excitement, almost unable to contain it.

With a little more confidence and knowledge of her power, Rachel almost forgot what Ted was doing to Maxine. She turns her attention toward the rift in the room, the one she went in. _I may have changed the past...But will Maxine believe me?_

She steps back into the rift, to return to her original timeline.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Hospital – Room 302

#### August 24th, 2016 9:40 AM

Rachel walks out the rift, almost stumbling out from the disorienting flash of light that occurs. Maxine is still staring back with her expression slowly changing into more confused with Rachel’s sudden movements.

Rachel falls down on her knees, pressing against the hospital floor. She peers over looking beneath the bed, to see the pen that she knocked over when she was in the rift. “I did that.” She mutters softly, at first. Her voice increases with excitement, "I fucking did that!"

Maxine leans closer to the edge of the bed, peering over Rachel’s body, but not quite seeing what she is looking at, “Did what exactly?”

Rachel points at the pen lying on the floor beneath the bed, “I knocked that pen down to scared that fucking nurse that was molesting you.” She says it in an almost amusing tone, despite the content of her words. Again, she is impressed with her own abilities.

Maxine gives a confused look at her, even though Rachel can’t see it, “What?”

Rachel pulls herself back up to a crouching position. She leans closer to Maxine, pressing her ribs into the side of bed and holding on to her hands. There wasn't any elegant way to described what happened to Maxine. “There was a male nurse, his name is Ted. He was totally getting off on you, while you were sleeping last night.” Rachel reaches over to her face, sliding her fingers on the side of her face, examining for any dried saliva. “There’s nothing.” She rubs again carefully, then she looks deep into Maxine’s eyes. “Did they wash your face earlier?”

Maxine shakes her head slowly, not disagreeing with her question but how silly Rachel is being. “Yes, they wipe my face shortly before you woke up this morning.”

Someone knocks on the door, causing both girls to turn towards the door. The door swing opens after a brief pause. “Good morning, Maxine.” It's Ted, the nurse from last night. “I can see your beautiful friend is also awake, too.” He walks into the room writing something on his clipboard.

The amusement quickly drains from Rachel's body as her heart rate quickens, causing her to shoot back up on her feet crossing her arms. Ted's comment about her is a little unsettling. _He must have come back to the room again, if he saw me. Did he...do something to me too?_ “Hey, what the fuck are you doing here?”

Maxine’s eyes widen in embarrassment. She glances at Rachel in shock, then back at Ted, trying to calm her down, “Rachel, please?”

Ted blinks his eyes slowly, leaning his ears closer to Rachel. “I’m sorry?”

Rachel scoffs at him, “Are you here to get another boner?”

Ted puts his pen on top of the clipboard clip, turning his body to face Rachel, “Excuse me, I don’t understand.”

Rachel takes a step closer to Ted, “You fucking stay away from her. Get me another nurse. Go back to your laptop and go rub one with some horse porn or some shit.”

Ted leans to the side, looking at Maxine. “Is your friend okay?” Rachel grabs his dress shirt, gripping it tightly, and pulling him back centered in front of her. His voice almost cracks, "Please, let go of me."

Maxine gives a nervous laughter with her hands sticking up, “Rachel, seriously stop it." She leans to the side, giving eye contact to Ted. "My friend is a little crazy in the head.”

Rachel lets go of his shirt, pushing him back, letting out a sarcastic laughter. She crouches down to the ground, to pick up the pen that is underneath the bed. She gets up and move up close to Ted, holding the pen to his eye level, clenching it tightly. Ted looks at the pen in absolute fear. Her voice fills with venom. “You see this Ted? The pen that gave you blue balls a few hours ago? I’m going to stab your balls off with it, if you don’t get the fuck out of my face this second.”

Ted’s mouth opens softly, and without hesitation, he walks quickly out of the room, slamming the door right behind him.

Maxine leans over and grabs Rachel’s arm, twisting to turn her over to look at her, “Rachel! Seriously, calm the fuck down.”

Rachel drops the pen down onto the ground. “Do you not believe me?”

Maxine’s tongue is a little tied, not fully sure what to say. “I think anyone would run away if you say something like that to them.”

Rachel reiterates her previous question, “So you don’t believe me? Just fucking say it.”

Maxine lets out a sigh. “Rachel, you need to calm down with your tone. It makes it hard to communicate with you sometimes.”

Rachel shakes her head, “No, my tone is perfectly justified. You just don’t believe me. You go around last night, trying to have sex with some rich asshole. While I went through hell just to save Chloe and you." Her eyes drifts away, and her voice softens. "And this is the thanks I get?"

Maxine covers her face with her hand. She has no words for Rachel, as she just shakes her head behind her hand. "I don't know what to say." She whispers in a soft voice.

Rachel steps away, “Then don't say anything. Forget it, then. No one believes me. I have to get ready for work now.” She storms towards the door, without looking back. She pauses, hoping for Maxine to say something, but she did not say anything back to her. Finally, she opens the door and leave the room.

On the other side of the door, Rachel presses her back against the door to Maxine’s room. She lets out a long sigh. _I should know people will not believe me. No different than before. People called me crazy, including Maxine’s parents. Fuck them all, seriously. But whatever is coming up, I may a need a weapon for this. My friend Callum, owns a piece that he been wanting to sell off to me. It may be useful this time. I’ll just get some cash from the bank before work, and call him to meet up with me with it._

Rachel scans the rest of the hospital lobby, and sees a couple of nurses, including Ted, looking with strange looks, pointing at her, and muttering among themselves. She takes a step towards them, and look back at them with a cold, deathly stare. The nurses stops talking and look back in silence. Rachel, then proceed towards the elevator, to leave the hospital.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Two Whales Diner

#### August 24th, 2016 12:50 PM

Rachel is waiting inside her car, which is parked in the parking lot of the Two Whales diner. The parking lot is fairly packed due to the lunch rush hour. Food coma-induced patrons leaves and hungry customers replaces them almost immediately.

Rachel tilts her head towards the roof of her car to let out a long exhale. The loss of adrenaline rush after the encounter with Ted has calm her down. Still, her best friend won't believe that she has this power. She distracts herself by looking at her phone, staring at ‘Callum’ in the phone log. Callum is probably one of Rachel's few friends outside of Maxine. There is always something a little off about him, that Rachel likes. He can have a crude sense of humor, but it a little refreshing and he is a good guy. Few months back, he took Rachel to shooting range a few times in Portland, insisting it is good to learn to protect yourself. _Well, now is a good time to get that protection._

“Hey, I didn't see Joyce today.” A distant voice from some customer in the parking lot. Rachel looks over her shoulder at the two people talking to each other, walking towards their truck. _Chloe, told me Joyce needs to take a break from work to mourn. There are many employees stepping up to cover her shift, myself included._

A sudden loud tap and figure appears in the window, startling Rachel from her phone. It is Callum right up against the window next to Rachel.

“Hey stupid,” Callum presses the side of his face, up against the window.

Rachel lets out a sigh of relief. "Dumbass." She opens the door in a swift, sudden movement, slamming it right into his body.

His body recoils back, almost falling back against an adjacent car. He hunches over, letting out a groan, grabbing his belly. “You hit me pretty hard…”

Rachel manages to squeeze her body out of the car door, and closes it behind her. She teases Callum, playfully, “Shut up, and get up.”

Callum is still hunched over, “No really, you got me good.”

Rachel leans her body down, right next to Callum, “Shit, I'm sorry.”

He quickly gets up and wrap his arm around Rachel’s neck, in a headlock. “Got you!” 

Rachel laughs, even with the moderate pressure Callum is applying to her neck. “You asshole…”

He presses her neck down, so she is hunched over. "What are you gonna do about it?" Rachel's head looks up slightly, at a very obvious target, and lifts her clenched fist right up to his groin area. "Alright alright, not the family jewels." Callum lifts her head back up, pressing her back against her car. His fingers still weaved in her hair, and his face up close to hers.

Rachel gives a lively smile to him, “Down boy.”

He lets go of her hair, letting it drape back down the side of her head, and backs away from her, smiling nervously, with both of his hands up. "Alright, I don't want to make Maxine jealous."

Rachel lowers her eyes, with a blushing nervous chuckle.

There is a short moment of silence as he looks at her briefly, examining her expression. He hesitates, "You and Maxine...are you two an item yet?"

Rachel avoids eye contact with him. "No, we're not."

He nods his head. "It's cool, take your time." He looks at Rachel, who still looks pretty down. He gives a quick jab with his elbow at her ribs, also accidentally clipping her boobs. "Hey-....ehh..." He just came in the realization, halting in his words. Rachel looks down at her chest, then back at him, squinting her eyes. His face is blushing but clears his throat, playing it cool, "Well was going to say if you take too long, I may have to take you away from Maxine." He lets out a dry chuckle.

Rachel bites her lips, "Nope. I'm going to have Maxine. You just pecked at my boobs, so can relish that moment and go play with yourself." She sticks out her tongue at him.

"Woah, woah," he backs away with his hands up. "Alright smart ass. Just think about what I'm about to give you, and what I do with my right hand."

Rachel's eyes look up towards her bangs, then right back at Callum. "Asshole..."

He nods his head, grinning with his teeth showing. "Yeee....alright let's go over there." He tilts his head towards the back of the diner.

Rachel smiles, looking at the direction he was signaling towards and then she nod in agreement. She opens the door, and grabs her wallet from the cup holder, and follow right behind Callum to the more secluded area, back of the diner. She glances around the parking lot and sees nobody is there as they're all inside the diner.

In the alleyway, behind there is a homeless woman but she seems to be deep asleep, as she is snoring.

Callum does a double take on the homeless woman, and then moves back towards Rachel. He gives a subtle nod to his head, signaling Rachel.

Rachel takes out her wallet from her pocket and pulls out five one hundred bills. “And you have the extra?”, she mutters quietly.

He pulls out a large brown lunch bag from underneath his jacket, and snatches her money.

Rachel gives a confused look, taking the crumbled lunch bag from his hand. “Couldn't you have put it into something nicer?”, she opens the lunch bag and sticks her head closer to see the Beretta 92FS in it, along with a box of ammo.

He nods at the lunch bag, “For that, that is a pretty good deal.” Rachel shrugs her shoulder with a sigh. “Would be more if you want a fancier bag.” He looks back at the homeless lady, and then back to Rachel. “What is it for?”

Rachel still looking down at the paper bag. She replies with a short answer, “Just for protection.” _Can't believe I own a gun now...well illegally._ She squeezes the top part of the bag, closing it.

Callum replies in a not very convinced tone, “Protection, huh?” He closes his eyes and walks past Rachel. He opens his eyes, giving Rachel one glance behind her, then straight ahead. “Well, have a good day, cutie.”

Rachel doesn’t really acknowledge too much about Callum's tone of voice. She is a little bothered how easy the sale was though, but maybe she is overthinking too much, like always. Callum, been wanting her to buy the gun off his hand, for a while.

She returns to her car, and throw the lunch bag in the trunk, and head straight into the diner.

The diner is a pretty packed with various type of customers from truck drivers to police officers. Rachel ducks her way to the back of the diner, in the kitchen area. She punches her ID number in the time clock machine to clock in. She grabs the available apron hanging up against the wall, tying it behind her waist, and heads back out to the main dining area.

"Rachel, can you make a round with coffee?" says a waitress that is currently taking order from some newly seated customers.

"Sure thing," says Rachel, as she reaches for the pot of coffee.

 

* * *

 

After the lunch rush dies down, Rachel lets out a sigh of relief, brushing her forehead. She grabs a wet towel and begins making a round around the tables, looking for any dirty tables to wipe down. She sees a poster posted by the bathroom doors that causes her to stop in her tracks.

_Join the Photography Program in Blackwell Academy!_

Rachel stares at the poster with curious eyes, thinking about Max and how her parents and Chloe is dead in that timeline. Her face lowers slightly, pouting her lips with sadness. She drops her arm to her side, rubbing the wet towel against her jeans. For some reason, she feels a void forming underneath her chest. She grasps at her chest, dipping her chin into her knuckles. _Max...please hang in there. I'll come check up on you._

The diner door opens, pulling Rachel’s attention away from the poster.

It's Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Finally back from a trip and ready to write. I'm going to do try two chapters of Rachel's timeline, then two chapters of Max's timeline. In Rachel's timeline, the characters are a little bit older and a bit different personality, so some of the themes can be more mature compared to Max. I apologize if some of these theme seems a bit too explicit or harsh. Life is Strange universe is actually very dark, though many of it is left for interpretation how "bad" it is. With the writing as my medium, I would like to explore some of it. After all, Rachel kind of have "spectator-like" powers, to assist with her all-knowing. Overall, I tried to keep it not "too explicit", just to leave some imagination to the readers, as well. Please let me know if it bothers you, I would like to know too.


	8. Reach for Glory

#### Rachel Amber

#### Two Whales Diner

#### August 24th, 2016 2:37 PM

The air in the diner suddenly became suffocating with grief and sadness with Chloe standing in front of the doors to the diner. She has a slightly slouched posture, wearing a cap, dark green flannel jacket with a gray shirt underneath it, and jeans. Chloe, clearly didn't want to be recognized, but her puffy eyes and miserable look is a dead getaway. She must have been crying her way driving over here.

She gives eye contacts with Rachel, who is hunched over wiping the table. She couldn’t force out a smile, instead just slightly tilts her head upwards, in acknowledgement. Her eyes drop back down to the ground, unable to maintain eye contact, or possibly holding in her tears, as she walks towards the blond pony tailed girl. Rachel drops the towel she was wiping with, onto the counter, and opens out her arms to let Chloe come in to hug her. Chloe digs her face into Rachel’s shoulder, sobbing softly into it.

“I woke up today...not seeing him there. It just hit me so hard.” Chloe’s voice is muffled and barely audible. Rachel runs her hand up her back, patting down to ease the tenseness in her body. Chloe lifts her head slightly, whispering into Rachel’s ear, “I miss him, so much.”

Rachel tilts her head gently to the side, pressing against Chloe’s head, and continues patting her back.

Rachel ponders a little bit about her father's death, which always incite anger into her. _I never fully recovered from my father’s death. I always keep getting visions and hearing voices in my head, ever since his death. Everyone always made fun of me and bullied me. I think my time rewind power is connected with all that, and possibly my father’s death. Once I get stronger, to the people that crippled my life and made it a living hell...maybe one day I can return the favor to them._

Rachel takes a deep breath to calm her nerves, letting go of Chloe, but not before taking one close up look of her face. “Let’s get you seated, first.”

She grabs the wet towel from the table, to put it back behind the counter. She takes out her writing pad from her back pocket, and gestures her hand, signalling Chloe to sit at the nearby empty table.

Chloe makes her way and sit down at the table, taking out her phone from her pocket to put on the table. She turns it on, just to make sure there isn’t any missed calls, from her mother. She then, turns off her phone to put to the side, interlocks her hands in a polite manner, and looks up towards Rachel.

Rachel hands her a menu that was already on the table, clipped behind the napkin dispenser. “You can take your time.”

Chloe takes the menu, giving a swift reply, before she actually looked at the menu, “It’s fine. I don’t have much of an appetite.” Her slightly disoriented puffy eyes glances down the menu, scanning from the left to the right. “Maybe coffee and some hash browns?” She mumbles through her thick throat.

Rachel nods her head slowly, “Sure thing.” She jots it down quick, and put the writing tab back in her pocket. She whips around and head back towards the kitchen. She presses her bottom lip, over her top lip, and letting out a puff of air to lift her bangs up. _Maxine, didn’t believe me at all. Chloe looks so miserable, she probably won’t believe me too._

Rachel sticks her head into the small window to the kitchen, “Order of hash brown, please.” She grabs a mug from the tray of clean mugs, and reaches over to grab the coffee pot, and head back towards the table Chloe is sitting at.

“Here you go,” Rachel puts down an empty mug on the table, and with the coffee pot in her other hand, pours into the mug. “This should get you started, and the hash brown is on its way.” After finished pouring, she slides the mug closer to Chloe.

Cautiously, Chloe steadily wraps both her hands around the mug, as if to warm up her cold, trembling fingers. “Thanks,” she mutters quietly, under her breath.

Rachel puts her hand on her hip, leaning against the table. “So uh- about the thing I wanted to tell you.” Chloe dips her head close to the mug, blowing on it to cool it off. “You’re not going to believe this because Maxine also did not believe it at all.” Rachel’s eyes drifts away looking out the window of the diner, with the high sun providing a nice glow to the buildings across the street.

Chloe releases both her hands from the mug, as it was getting too warm to touch. “Okay, try me.”

Rachel takes a deep breath and lets out an exhale, to calm her anxious mind. “Last night, I found out I have the ability to rewind time.” Chloe’s eyebrow furrows immediately, and her mouth opens slightly. “I can time travel, basically.”

Chloe leans her face to the side, like she is ready to shake her head in complete disagreement. “That is...impossible.”

The thought of last night, and the stress and fatigue it carried, begins pulsating back into Rachel’s tired body. She looks up at the ceiling, biting her lips, thinking all she went through. Going back to save Chloe’s life, and in addition, the journey she took with Max in the other timelines. Rachel mutters out, softly. “I saved your life.”

Chloe’s eyebrow raises, “What?”

“Originally, you ran to look for your dad, when you heard the gunshots. And I went after you, but I was about a good thirty feet behind you. That was when you got gunned down by the same people who shot your father.” Rachel's fingers were trembling, still shocked from her abilities.

Chloe looks down, one of her hand tugging at the sleeves of the other wrist, nervously. “Really?”

Rachel’s mouth open slightly, observing Chloe’s movement and response. “You believe me?”

Chloe replies quickly, looking back at Rachel. “No. But...” She nods her head, for Rachel to continue, “I want to hear more.”

Rachel wets her lips, “I was like a ghost, but able to go back to an earlier time when we were lying at the truck. My power is strange. I basically entered my body from an earlier time.”

Chloe’s eyes widen, as a few stuffs started to click, “And that was when you were acting all strange, and begins kissing me.”

Rachel’s face went warm, her skin tone almost blushing. She wasn’t expecting Chloe to bring that back up, “Uh- yeah.”

Chloe’s soft breathing can be heard, “And when the gunshots fired, you yelled at the top of your lungs, doing whatever you can to prevent me from going.”

A trickle of hope flows inside Rachel's veins, almost causing her to smile, “Yes…” She kneels down a little, getting close to Chloe’s eye level. “You’re...believing this.”

Chloe lets out a sigh, closing her eyes. “Rachel...my father just died, I’m still recover-” She pauses, then she opens her eyes, with curiosity. “Could you have save my father?”

Rachel shakes her head, in disappointment. “I might be able to, actually. But not last night, that was my first time being exposed to this powers.” Feeling pathetic, she continues weakly, “And I got scared…”

Chloe nods her head, gripping the hand that Rachel placed on the table. “Well, of course they have guns.”

Rachel continues to look deep into those blue sympathetic eyes. She is feeling almost light-headed from the sudden emotions and attention she is getting from Chloe, in contrast to Maxine. “Chloe...you’re actually listening to me.”

Chloe dips her head down, letting out a sigh. “I am, but...I don’t believe you.” She lifts her index finger up in the air, “Not yet.” Her lips trembles slightly, “Listen Rachel, my father just got murdered. Shot many times to death.” The finger she had up in the air became a clenched fist, as she brings it into her head. There is a mixture of anger and sadness within her, but at same time, she seems to be more relaxed than a few minutes ago. “And you’re saying that this ability that defies human and even gods, somehow just transferred into you.”

Rachel shrugs her shoulder, lifting both hands up from the side of her body. “I have no explanation. But I’m dead serious, that is what happened.”

Chloe leans back in her seat, crossing her arm. “I can’t fully believe it right this moment, Rachel. It's my father...” Words got choked into Chloe’s throat. “I hope you understand.”

Rachel nods in sympathizing with her, “I know. But what if I can prove it to you? Will you help me?”

“Prove it?” Chloe drops her arms, and her arms grip down at her knees. “How?”

“I think I can use power to find out stuffs that I wouldn’t know otherwise. By going back in the past.”

Chloe points down towards the ground, “Okay...like right here?”

Rachel looks around at the moderately empty diner, then back at Chloe. “It seems to work better at a place you’re there more often. Like your bedroom. Can I swing by after work?”

Chloe’s looks back with her wide blue eyes. Not really having much choices, she agrees. “Uh...sure, Rachel.”

#### Rachel Amber

#### Price Residence - 1F

#### August 24th, 2016 5:21 PM

Rachel arrives at Chloe’s house, from the address she texted. Rachel was thinking about going back to the hospital to visit Maxine, but decided against it. She needed a little more time away from Maxine. This morning was frustrating for your best friend to not believe at all in what you're saying. Rachel thought about her past with Maxine, that how she probably just wanted to be a good friend to her and accepted she had mental issues. _Sometimes it better to pretend to care, than not care at all, right?_

Rachel knocks at the front door of their nice blue colored house. Their neighborhood is very peaceful, as you can hear the sound of little kids playing in the distant. She steps back politely, gripping her wrist nervously, thinking what to say. _If it is Joyce, what should I say to her? Shit, I’m so bad at these type of things. ‘I’m sorry about your husband, but don’t worry I’ll save him?’ Fuck me…_

Rachel rubs her knuckles into her jawbone, pondering some more. _Here I was thinking about getting stronger to use my power. And now I’m trembling…_ Rachel looks down at her feet, who is shaking very slightly. She grinds her teeth, stomping one of her feet. _Stop shaking!_ Her angry face turns to a worried frown. _What if I can’t save him? Or like what Max said, things gets very fucked that you cannot handle it. I think my powers may be stronger than Max's, but I’m still just a person. What if I end up like Max, and only disappointing myself? Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have told Chloe..._

“Mom, I got it,” Chloe’s muffled voice from behind the door, can be heard as footstep sounds quickly rumbles towards the door. The footstep stops at behind the door, and you can hear Chloe stopping to peer through the peephole. The lock clicks, and the door opens, with Chloe behind it. “Hey Rachel,” she says softly. She looks much better than how she was earlier at Two Whales. Her eyes is much less puffy and she almost has a smile on her face. Maybe the talk about the time travel powers has brighten her mood. _Chloe looks so much better. Now, I really have to save her father…_ “Come in.” Chloe steps back, opening the door wider for Rachel to come in.

Rachel grips her flannel jacket uneasily, and follow through the door.

Joyce sticks her head out the doorway, her face looks very pale and her eyes is red and puffy. Not sure from the distance, but her hair seems like a mess with many strands falling out of her hair bun. She is quite the contrast from Chloe. “Oh...hi Rachel.” She presses her lip to try to give out a smile. “Thanks for covering me for work.”

Rachel nods her head with a smile, hoping to cheer up the moment. “Sure, no problem.” Joyce nods her head. Rachel’s voice becomes shaky and unsteady, “I-uh...,” she stutters, taking a few steps forward towards Joyce to accommodate for her less than clear voice. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Joyce nods her head again, but her eyes drops a little this time. “Me too.” Her lips were trembling, as you can almost see and feel her throat tightening. “Thank you, Rachel.”

Rachel looks at Chloe, who is standing a few steps up the stairs, looking down with her wide eyes. 

“Uh- Chloe...there is something you wanted to show me?” Rachel tries to transition from the uneasiness that is filling up the air around them.

“Sure come on Rachel.”

“Sorry to interrupt you two, but Chloe, remember you have to pick pictures.” Her voice cracks slightly.

Chloe looks back, nodding her head solemnly. “Sure, mom.” She looks at Rachel, then she continue up the stairs to her room, with Rachel following behind her.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Price Residence - Chloe’s Room

#### August 24th, 2016 5:25 PM

Chloe’s room is tidy and very well kept, as the walls gives out it nice warm glow from the pink window curtains combined with the afternoon sun. Her desk was very organized with two computer monitors sitting on it, in front of the large window. There is a huge TV on a stand to the side of her nice comfy looking bed. She has the latest gaming consoles like Playstation 4, Xbox One, and even one of those VR headset. She really is a spoiled geek.

Rachel walk towards Chloe’s bed, sitting on the well-made bed, facing towards the TV. She dips her head, looking down at her dangling feet. Chloe follows Rachel, but stopping by the foot of her bed, not exactly sure what to say next to her.

“So uh-, let’s talk about your powers. How does it work?” She tucks both of her hands into her pockets, fidgeting slightly with her legs.

Rachel crosses her leg, dangling one of her feet, “I feel like my power is growing. So it is pretty complicated. But to keep it simple, I can go back to earlier time, or even other timelines. I should be able to go back to an earlier time of this bedroom and maybe prove to you with the knowledge I gain.”

“To an earlier time, here?” Chloe points down at the floor. “Another time you were here? You were never here before.”

Rachel shakes her head, “No, I don’t have to be here. I basically become all ghost-like, and can observe what you were doing at an earlier time in the bedroom. If I was here, I can enter my body at that time, to take control from that point with my memories intact.”

Chloe’s eyes widen. Instead of being surprised by her abilities, Chloe becomes defensive and concerned with something else. “Wait, so you can watch what I was doing in this bedroom.”

Rachel nods her head, “Yep.”

Chloe brings both her hands up almost covering her mouth. “Oh no-no-no. I’m sorry. You can’t do that.”

“Why? I won’t be able to prove it, then.”

She puts her hands down and her eyes drift to the side. “Too much uh...personal stuff.” Her eyes drifts back towards Rachel. “You don’t need to prove...stuff like that.”

Rachel lets out a soft chuckle, “Oh...I won’t say anything if you got some secret crush in here.”

“Hah...nope, I never been in a real relationship.” She presses both hands on her warm cheeks. “But uh...you’re on the right path.”

Rachel realizes what she is talking about, and lets out a smile. “It’s okay, I won’t say anything.”

She drops her hands, pointing towards the door of her bedroom. “Can we do this somewhere else? Like the living room. Uh-” She pauses to think for a second, “Erm...nevermind that. How about the garage?”

“I don’t think you will have very memorable moments in the garage.”

“Yeah, I’m also not doing certain things in the garage.” Chloe's eyes drifts up. "Hmm...I don't think so, at least."

“Let me at least see first. I can get a small sneak peek.” Rachel gets up and walk right besides Chloe. She holds out her right hand, sensing the power in the air around here. A rift appears, and she steps towards it for a more clear look. “I see that you’re lying on the bed.”

Chloe closes her eyes, and shakes her head. “Ho ho, no way. Uh-uh. Nope. You may not see it.” 

“Come on, Chloe.”

“Can’t you find one where I’m standing in the middle of my room, with my arms out stretched? Wearing very thick winter clothes?” She acts it out by reaching her arms to the side, fully extending her fingers. She seems troubled by this, but there a hint of humor in her tone and expression.

“My power is kind of random. I wish I had more control of it.”

“Wait, in whatever sneak peek you just saw where I’m lying in my bed, am I wearing my VR headset?”

Rachel’s eyebrow raises with confusion. She replies slowly, “Uh, no you’re not.”

Chloe lets out a quick sigh. “Oh dear god. If I was, I’m going to bite your arm off so hard, I swear.”

“Chloe, this is for your father, okay?”

“Yeah, I know,” Chloe is reminded again of his death, and her tone became a little more serious. However, she doesn’t seem to be too affected by it. She pulls up the bottom of her shirt and play with it.

Rachel closes her eyes, trying to focus back on the objective. “Time to go into rift, you won’t notice I’m gone.”

Chloe raises one of her hand and waves goodbye, weakly. “Okay...be nice.”

Rachel looks at Chloe, one last time. The warm light really gives out a beautiful glow to Chloe’s blond hair. Her lips is pressed with mild skepticism, but there is hope within her deep blue eyes. _Perhaps, she only believes me because I can make her future better._ Rachel looks again at her lips, thinking about what it take to see more of her smile again.

“Rachel,” Chloe calls to her in a soft voice. “Are you nervous?” She slowly reaches and grab Rachel’s hand.

Rachel lets out a soft smile. “No. I’m not.”

Chloe’s mouth opens slightly, as she stares with dreamy eyes to her. “I’m kidding about biting your arms off.”

Rachel’s face begins to grow a little red from Chloe’s warm touch. Rachel tilts her nose up a little, with a mischievous grin. “Good, glad to hear that. Now time for some voyeurism.” She lets out a soft laugh, playfully shoves Chloe back, and hops into the rift.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Price Residence - Chloe’s Room

#### June 16th, 2015 1:52 AM

Rachel steps out the rift, and the room is pitch black. At least it seems like it would be, if it weren’t for the fact Rachel’s vision in this form, can see in the dark somewhat clearly. Chloe is lying on her back in bed, deeply asleep with her slow, soft snoring. She has the blanket kicked off to the bottom portion of the bed for this warmer night in Oregon.

She is wearing a rather large white tank top that covers past her waist. She is either wearing just her underwear, or very short pants. 

_Well, I can find out. Not going to lie, I may be a ghost, but my hormones is still off the charts._ Rachel face palms herself for the overwhelming amount of disgusting thoughts that is polluting her mind. _Eh, fuck it._ She dips her head side way between Chloe’s legs. _Oh...white with tiny blue flowers. Cute._ Rachel’s head softly relaxes with this knowledge of the blond girl’s underwear. Rachel’s heartbeat quickens, see her small round bump that presses through her cotton panties. A soft moan escapes her mouth from her sharp observation.

She lifts her head back up, blushing madly, and shaking her head sideways. She moves her body towards Chloe, who is sleeping very peacefully and relaxed face. Rachel lets out a cute smile with her teeth showing, imagining some make believe fantasy with the beautiful girl. _Oh, maybe she...just rubbed herself to sleep._ A tingle sensation erupts between her legs, and the guilt is unable to be contained in Rachel’s face, as she lets out a smirk.

Rachel has a new side objective in her filthy mind to piece together some scenario for herself. _Maybe she has some smut novels or dirty magazines. Or maybe she watched it on her phone._ Rachel dips her nosy head down below the bed.

She sees just a few sealed cardboard boxes that looks like they’re from online orders. A faint dim glow reflects on the other side of the wall, getting her attention. Rachel lifts her head up and turns towards the corner of the room. 

There is a girl crouched suspiciously in the corner, looking at her phone. She has what looks like blond hair, and a short pony tail. She stiffens her posture to try and cover the phone from illuminating the rest of the room too much.

She whispers into her phone, “Hello?”

Rachel crawls her way towards the girl, as if she is trying to approach behind her without her knowing.

“No it’s fine.” There is a brief pause on the phone. “Tomorrow at three, you said? Where is it?”

“The Intoxicated Blue Jays?,” she lets out a soft laughs from the silly name of the place. “I didn’t even know there is a downstairs to that place.”

The girl scoots her body closer to the corner of the room and further away from the bed with Chloe. “What should I wear? My best lingerie set? Okay...Yeah I’ll wear it underneath. Thanks, see you tomorrow.”

She ends the call, turning off the phone immediately, for the darkness of the room to come back. She walks back to Chloe’s bed, putting her phone at the floor by the side of the bed. She gently lays down to the other empty pillow next to Chloe’s, trying not to disturb Chloe.

Chloe stirs, tossing her body over to turn towards the girl, “Dana, You’re up?”

 _Dana?_ Chloe mentioned that name before, about a good friend of her that disappeared after a party. Rachel’s eyes drop down towards the ground, thinking about her possible fate. _She likely got kidnapped, almost like what could have happened to Maxine._

Dana’s voice becomes a little scratchy, turning her body away from Chloe. “Uh yeah, just thinking about my decisions.”

Chloe glances at her with her fatigued eyes, and utters out in a soft voice, “Triple D’s. Stick with it.”

Dana lets out a giggles, “Haha yeah.” She takes in a deep breath and let out for an extended exhale. “Let’s go to sleep.”

“Sure.” Chloe rolls away so she is lying on her back, again.

There is just silence in the room, as both blonds tries to fall asleep. Rachel walks over to the side where Dana is sleeping at, and kneels down observing her. Dana’s eyes were still opened, as you can see there is some apprehension in them. She presses her lip, as there were some sadness in her expression, maybe possibly even loneliness. She closes her eyes, trying to get started with going to sleep. _I wonder if the person on the phone had something to do with her disappearance?_ Rachel gets up and walks back towards the rift back in the middle of the room. _But I have to focus on getting Chloe’s father._ She looks over her shoulder, back at Dana. _One thing at a time, Dana._

Rachel looks forward and walk back into the rift.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Price Residence - Chloe’s Room

#### August 24th, 2016 5:31 PM

Rachel walks out the rift, back into the warm, much brighter room. Rachel squints her eyes from the abrupt brightness, looking at Chloe who seems very alerted and offended.

Chloe quickly grabs Rachel with playful laughter, "You better not-", then her expression became confused, raising one of her eyebrow. “Umm...did you already go?”

Rachel tries to forget some of the concerning details with Dana, and instead smiles at Chloe. She walks towards her playfully pinching her waist, “I like what you sleep in. Long white tank top, and cute white panties with little blue flowers on it.”

Chloe’s eyes widen, and she grabs on both of Rachel’s arms. “You asshole, I knew you were going to say something like that.”

Rachel lets out a teasing smile, "You were rubbing one off..."

Chloe's face went white, as you can see the energy slowly leaves from her face and her body. She almost sank to the ground. "Rachel..." Chloe quietly mutters in sad, whining tone.

Rachel grabs her quickly and pulls her up. "Shit, Chloe I'm sorry, I was kidding. Seriously, I didn't see anything." Chloe looks back not convinced, with an embarrassed, humbled look. "You were having a sleep over or something with your hot friend, Dana." 

Chloe's expression sharpens, as she stands back up more firmly. She raises her hand, almost covering her mouth. “You saw Dana?”

Rachel runs her fingers along her hair to down her shoulders. “Yeah, you guys were sleeping and then you guys started talking something about Triple D’s, then you guys both went to sleep.”

Chloe drops her hand, revealing her opened mouth. “Oh my god." She laughs at the absolutely silly thing that Rachel discovered about her past. "Holy shit, you really did go back in time.” Chloe grins sunnily at Rachel, quite the contrast from earlier this afternoon. You can see there is some serious revitalized hope into Chloe’s face, that is actually almost disturbing given last night's event.

Rachel smiles, a bit proud of her accomplishment and that someone finally believes her. “Care to elaborate what you guys were talking about?”

Chloe leans her body back a little, ready for a long explanation. “Dana got accepted by a modelling agency of some sort. She never gave me any details, because she said it wasn’t something to be bragging to everyone about. The agency offered paying for surgeries, including breast implants, so I was thinking, it was part of the adult industry. Only something like that is lucrative enough for something like that. As much as I like large breasts...” Chloe’s voice fades away, as her eyes drift towards the large bumps on Rachel’s chest, and then she looks back at her eyes. “I felt a little iffy for her to go through that. But as a friend, the best thing you can do is be supportive of their decision. So we were just discussing about what was a good size for her to get that night.”

“Oh geez,” Rachel lets out a soft laughter. _What a dumb thing to go back in time for, but knowledge is knowledge. Not everything is polished or refined in this world._ Rachel scratches her chin, thinking about it a little more. _Maybe the place she went to, the next day, could give a clue? I’ll keep that in mind for another time. I have to focus on saving Chloe's father._ “So she wanted to be a model?”

“Yeah, I mean look at her. She’s so pretty. But she went missing not too long after that night. That was about a year ago, I think.” Chloe’s eyes drifts away, as some despair seeps back in her face.

“Yeah, you mentioned it to me.” Rachel looks down, as there is an awkward silence between them two. Both were probably pondering the fate of Dana, but didn’t want to continue to talk about it. Part of Rachel wants to see if she can somehow save Dana or at least discover what happened to her, but first she has to save Chloe’s father. _But what if Dana is already long dead? If I go back too far in time, it will drastically change the future._

Chloe’s eyes wander to Rachel’s preoccupied eyes, and she finally breaks the silence. “But yes, I believe you about your time power. So, do you think you can do it?” Chloe’s voice weakens slightly, realizing she is demanding something humanly impossible. She stutters in a softer voice, “To uh- try and save my father?”

Rachel slowly paces around the room in a small circle. “I’ll have to look around where your father got shot. And see what my approach is. Then, I can re-enter to my body and try to warn him or something.”

Chloe smiles with hope, full of warm energy, “Yeah you were mentioning that, earlier. Why didn't you try and show me that earlier-." Chloe figures out the answer herself. "Oh you probably would change history, huh?" Her smiles disappears, realizing how serious time travel can be. “Please be careful, okay?” She puts out her hand, grabbing the side of Rachel’s, stopping her in her tracks, “I’ll come help you out, okay?”

Rachel nods, still a little bit concerned about this whole plan. “Sure thing.” She lets out a half smile.

Chloe lets go and takes a step back, rocking her body back in a lazy fashion. “Thank you so much, Rachel. We are on this together, okay? If you ever feel too scared, don’t hesitate to back out. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Her tone was very genuine and touching for Rachel. Chloe, almost feels invincible, and is probably more excited about the time travel power than even Rachel is, even without knowing the full consequences of the power.

Rachel bites her lips, nodding her head, thanking Chloe for her sympathy. “Thanks, Chloe. It really means a lot.” She closes her eyes slowly, then back opened. _Chloe, is much more accepting than Maxine. But maybe because Chloe didn’t have to put up a fucked up childhood and teenager years with me, like Maxine did._

“Wow.” Chloe dips her head down sharply, with the rest of her hair draping down by her face. “I'll be honest. Ever since you told me about your time rewind power earlier today. That you could possibly save my father. I guess a part of me, believed it for some reason. Since then, I’ve been feeling so detached with everything. And as strange as it sounds, I don’t feel so sad about my father’s death, anymore.” She jerks her head back up, flinging her hair back. “Silly, huh?”

Chloe's optimistic mindset about this is pretty shocking. But if she has trust in Rachel, there is truth in her statement. “I think that’s a little understanding. Because all of this is going to change, so we can’t grow too attached.” Rachel presses her knuckles into her chin. “It’s almost like we have to say goodbye.”

“That’s very true.” Chloe nods her head, with a little sadness to Rachel's words.

Rachel leans back, falling back to sit at the foot part of Chloe’s bed. She places both of her hands at her knees, looking down at her feet. “I guess that makes sense. I know someone that’s feeling that way, right now.” She begins tracing circles at her jeans. “She has to be.”

Chloe sits down right beside Rachel. “What? Did you save her or do something similar for her?

Rachel shakes her head profusely. “No. She actually has time rewind power like me.” Chloe’s eyes widen, and she mouthed ‘Woah’. Rachel continues, “But she isn’t from this timeline. Even though she has the power, she decided to choose not to use it. However, it resulted in the death of her best friend and both of her parents.” She lets out a soft sigh. “She not sure if she wants to use her power to save them.”

Chloe’s eyes drift downwards, thinking about it. “So there are multiple timelines going on?” She pauses, thinking about why someone wouldn’t want to use this power to save their loved ones. “She doesn’t want to use her power, huh? Do I know her best friend?”

Rachel presses her lips together, nodding, “Yep. _You’re_ her best friend.”

Chloe stands up immediately, causing the bed to creak. “Me? What the fucking hell? Who is this person with time rewind power?”

Rachel closes her eyes, a little disgusted to admit it. “Max. Or Maxine, in this timeline.”

“Oh shit. No way! We’re best friend in the other timeline?”

“Yep.”

“What about you? Rachel, are you there, too?”

Rachel flutters her eyes, slowly. She thinks back at the bathroom in the restaurant when she first met Max, and the long conversation she had with her. “I’m already dead in that timeline.”

Chloe’s eyes drops down a little. Her tone lowers to a more serious tone. “I’m sorry. Erm…” She pauses for a second. “Is Maxine going to save you, too?”

Rachel’s throat tightens, and her eyebrow lowers. Her voice is barely louder than a whisper. “No. I don’t know if she going to save anyone. In fact-” She swallows to relieve the tension that was choking in her throat. “I think she going to take her own life.”

“Wait...” Chloe turns her head away from Rachel, looking straight ahead. Her voice drops to almost a whisper. “Why?” 

Rachel presses both hands at her face, trying to not cry from thinking about it. “I had a vision a long time ago. Of Maxine going to Blackwell Academy. That she ended her life, by jumping off the roof there. It was one of the reason why I persuaded so hard for her to not go to that school, when I was younger. Of course that led to a huge fight between me and Maxine’s parents.”

Chloe nods her head, trying to follow everything Rachel is saying. “So Maxine in that timeline went to Blackwell Academy? And somehow that is going to cause her to end her life?”

“Yeah, something like that. Probably combination of many things. Who really knows? I also had a vision that her parents died in a car crash, and that actually happened in that timeline. She also mentioned there was a tornado that was going to destroy the town. But she prevented it, by…” Rachel looks directly into Chloe’s eyes, “By sacrificing you, or I guess you in that timeline.” Chloe looks back at Rachel, nodding again. As mysterious and vague everything is, Chloe continues to remain calm and still listening. “I saw that same tornado in my vision.” There is a short pause, as Rachel’s soft breathing can be heard in the stillness of the room. “If she prevented that tornado, then maybe I can prevent her death.”

Chloe presses her hand onto Rachel’s shoulder. “Can you save her? I know she isn’t technically your best friend, but you have to try.”

Rachel slowly shakes her head, “I don’t know if I can, or if she wants me to. She doesn’t want to use any time rewind power because she is afraid it’ll cause the world to become unstable.”

“The world becoming unstable caused the tornado? That’s why she is helpless to save me and her parents?”

“Yes. Even if she does decide to fix the past by rewinding time-” Rachel stares blankly ahead, towards the door to Chloe’s bedroom. “I know she just wants you and her parents alive. I’ll still be dead.”

Chloe comes in closer and wraps her arm around Rachel’s body. “So, you don’t want to save her, because you wouldn’t benefit from it.”

Rachel nods her head, slowly. “Selfish, isn’t it? I already have so much trouble with Maxine in this timeline. But some reason, I think we’re all connected, despite being a different timeline.” She lets out a soft sigh, her hands squeezing her jeans. “I feel I’m not going to be wanted in either timelines.”

Chloe shakes her head, “Don’t say that. You don’t know.” Chloe wraps her other arm, pressing Rachel’s belly through her shirt. “I care about you.”

“You just care about me because I can save your father.”

“No, that’s fucking bullshit. And you know it.” Chloe clenches her fist, gripping Rachel’s shirt over her stomach.

Rachel grabs onto Chloe’s hand, interlocking her fingers. “This time travel power- I have a feeling it was given to me to shape the timeline accordingly to how someone else wants it. I’m just a puppet being used by someone or maybe some higher beings. After all this happens, no one will remember what I did. All these _heroic acts_ I do, and glory does not exist out of time.” Rachel’s own words depresses her even more, that she has to take a deep breath. The thought that her power is really just a curse, rather than a gift. “Eventually, I’ll fade out of existence from everyone.”

“What do you mean you fade out of existence?”

“Chloe, if I change the past. Depending how far back, this will all be erased, with your father alive.”

Chloe nods her head, “Yeah...”

“So you will not remember anything I’ve told you. You may not believe me anymore. Actually, I’m sure you won’t believe me anymore.”

“Why?”

“I think you’re open to believing me because of your father’s tragedy. My power just seems like a glimmer of hope to you.”

Chloe stares deeply in the laminate wooden floor in her room, thinking real hard about what Rachel just said. “I don’t know. I’ve always been interested in supernatural stuff. Or…” She pauses, and her eyebrow lowers a little bit. “Or maybe something about this, just feels too...familiar already. Not sure if that makes any sense...”

Rachel looks at her, a little surprised with what she is saying. “It doesn't. What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. It is probably nothing. I'm overthinking or maybe been watching too much anime.” Chloe gives a quick glance towards Rachel, then pulls away quickly.

Rachel nods her head, softly. "Maybe, it is something. I do feel a little drawn to you."

"Really?"

Rachel shrugs her shoulder, “Regardless, I’ll be back to no one believing me. Maxine didn’t believe me, and neither will you. All of this, will go away when I change history.” Rachel tone starts to fill with mild frustration. She releases Chloe’s hand, letting it fall down to her leg, “Even that little make out session we had, and this talk. Gone.”

“Well…” Chloe reaches down, running her fingers along Rachel’s inner thigh, “I didn’t mind you kissing me. I definitely won’t mind it in a different timeline. I don’t know, if you know, but you’re fucking gorgeous.” Rachel blushes at Chloe’s words. Chloe sees her reaction, continues to stroke her inner thigh more, sliding her hands up along it. “Fuck it, I’ll admit it, I have a crush on you. But I know Maxine is your girl. And combined with my father’s death…” Her hand that was rubbing Rachel’s thigh stops. “Gosh, it feels so weird. He just died yesterday, and here I am just teasing you like it is nothing. Time travel is very fucked up.” Chloe hesitates what she says next, glancing at Rachel, then away. "This seems very fucked up, but you remember what my mom told me to do, just earlier when we were downstairs? I don't want to pick photos for my father's funeral."

Rachel runs her fingers through her bangs, scratching her forehead, "That is a lot of pressure and trust on me, Chloe."

Chloe doesn't even look back at Rachel, "Yes, it is very fucked up. Maxine, or I guess the Maxine with the time travel power, I can sort of understand how she feels. There is some sort of suspension of feelings, and it makes you feel less of a human, and almost...something else."

Chloe's words were a little frightening but there is truth to her statement. You really don't feel like a normal human being, when you know who gets to live, or who gets to die. Rachel nods her head, agreeing with Chloe, “It really distorts your perspective about reality. The more I think about it, this time travel isn't a good thing to have. Both, me and Max in the other timeline, no one will ever understand our suffering, because no one can retain their memories out of time. ”

Chloe presses her lips, “Listen Rachel, I’m very sorry for all of this. I cannot even fathom how tough this is. And here I am, being selfish and giddy like a dumb ass, about you going to save my father.”

“Chloe, I would feel the exact same way, don’t worry. I guess out of all this, I just don’t want to be alone.”

“Rachel…you have Maxine. You will have her.”

“Maxine, as much as I love her. I feel she is slipping away from me. I need her so much right now, but she doesn’t believe me at all. She just thinks I’m crazy.” There were some tears at the corner of Rachel’s eyes, “I will be alone.”

Chloe holds onto Rachel’s hand, and brings it up to her face. She gives it a soft kiss, and then looks back deeply in Rachel’s eyes. “Rachel, I know I just met you. But promise me, we’ll still be friends, okay? Whatever timeline we’ll end up, and if we ever get separated or if we get lost, promise to come back to me, okay?” Rachel is stunned by Chloe's touching words and struggles to contain the tears in her eyes. “And I want to hear all these stories and memories we have shared with each other in all these timelines.”

Rachel couldn’t hold the tears anymore, as they begins to drip down her face. “Thanks Chloe. Your words is very touching and you always make me feel very wanted. That what I want more than anything.” Chloe reaches in giving her a hug, pressing her face into Rachel’s. She welcomes Chloe’s warm embrace. “Don't worry Chloe, I will save your father.” The two of them only met, but Rachel is very captivated by Chloe’s friendliness and beauty.

Chloe pulls back slightly to get a nice view of Rachel’s face. She brushes Rachel’s bangs, slowly running her finger down her face, wiping a trail of tear from her face. Rachel’s eyes is a little puffy and her face is reddened. Her breaths were heavy as she blew soft puffs of warm air onto Chloe’s face. Chloe drops her finger, down to Rachel’s chin, and she stands up and sit back down on top of Rachel’s lap.

Chloe tips her nose up playfully, "Well if this timeline is going away, why don't we continue our make out session for a little bit?"

 _Well, fuck it. What's the worst that can happen?_ Rachel nods her head, and smiles.

Chloe acknowledges back at Rachel, and carefully slides both her hands, running up Rachel’s inner thighs. The sudden sensation causes Rachel’s thighs to twitch from the tingling feeling. Chloe feels the sudden jerk from her legs, adding confidence to her, that she is doing the right thing.

A buzz comes from Rachel’s phone in her pants. Chloe looks at Rachel’s pants, then back at her eyes. Rachel grabs Chloe and brings her closer as they continue to kiss each other. Chloe dips down and run her tongue along Rachel’s neck, causing her to tilt her head upwards. Rachel’s eyes rolls back, tilting her body back, and arching her chest upwards. Chloe's breath stops for a second, with the close view of Rachel's bumps rising close to her face. She runs her hand underneath Rachel's shirt pressing her hands flat against Rachel's warm belly.

A second buzz comes out of Rachel’s pants, but the two blonds don't pay too much attention to it. Chloe continues to run her mouth all over Rachel’s neck, running her fingers little higher up her body, lifting up her shirt a little more, that Rachel can feel more cold air blowing onto her stomach. Chloe pulls away from her neck to admire Rachel's round belly. She swirls her tongue out, and licking her lips in a teasing fashion. She looks back at Rachel's eyes, smiling at her. Rachel looks back, slightly embarrassed but same time aroused and breathing heavily.

Rachel grabs onto Chloe's hand, who is holding up her shirt, preventing it's advance. Chloe sticks her tongue out in a mischievous way, and tugs it a little higher until it partially shows the bottom part of Rachel's dark purple bra. Chloe lets out a joking gasp, teasing her. She pouts her lips, making kissing sounds towards her chest. Rachel looks down, partially humiliated and ashamed, locking Chloe's hands from advancing any further, to reveal any more of herself. 

A third buzz comes in again, as they both turn their attention down to Rachel's pants. _Someone must be really trying to get a hold of me. Probably Maxine..._ Chloe dips her head, kissing Rachel's hand that is holding up her shirt, and gently tug it, shuffling her shirt back down for Rachel, till her shirt fully covered her chest and belly area, from Chloe's curious eyes.

Rachel appreciating Chloe's gesture, reaches in for her pocket to grab her phone, “Sorry, I have to get this." Chloe nods back, resting both of her hands on her waist.

> **Maxine:** Rachel, hey I’m discharged from the hospital. I’m back home. (5:38 PM)
> 
> **Maxine:** Hey, I’m sorry about everything. Come over, now. (5:38 PM)
> 
> **Maxine:** I’ll make up for it. :) (5:39 PM)

Rachel smiles at the thought of Maxine is finally out of that white colored jail, that people called a 'hospital'. _That was quick._

Chloe being nosy, looks down and reads all the texts that is on the screen by Maxine, “Oh wow. You’re totally getting laid tonight.” She lets out a half smile as part of her is a little disappointed.

Rachel playfully jabs at Chloe. “Shut up.”

“Enjoy your time, tonight.” Chloe lets out a chuckle, and quickly slides off Rachel’s lap.

“Fine.” Rachel lets out a nervous laughter, with awkward abrupt ending between her and Chloe. Rachel stares off as Chloe walks off to the center room, crossing her arms and facing away from her. _Shit, well this is a little weird. It nice that Maxine is out the hospital. But probably shouldn’t have done that with Chloe._ Rachel gets up from the bed, and walks towards the window to look at the sky. Rachel’s mouth opens slightly with what she sees in the sky.

“Chloe, do you see the two moons up in the sky?”

Chloe turns around and hurries towards the window, pressing up against Rachel, “No, I just see one. Maybe you have some eye problems. You need to stop jerking off. Then again, I’ll be blind as a bat, if it weren’t for these contacts.”

Rachel kneels down, looking if there anything else wrong with the sky, but there isn’t. “I’m serious, Chloe. I think something is happening. Maybe something is going on with the other Max.” Rachel slowly steps back, away from the window. “Blackwell Academy...they have dorms, right?”

“Yeah, there is. You going to go there?”

Rachel’s phone buzzes a few more time. She takes out her phone quickly to look at it.

> **Maxine:** I’m scared to be alone. (5:41 PM)
> 
> **Maxine:** Come home, quick. :) (5:41 PM)

Rachel lets out a soft cry of frustration, “Maxine...shit.”

Chloe walks away from window, towards Rachel. “You really think the other Max is in trouble? Can you even do anything?”

Rachel nods her head, “I don’t know. I was able to jump into her timeline before.”

Chloe’s concerned eyes shifts to the side, towards the window, “Well, you have to make that decision.”

Rachel thinks for a little bit, rubbing her knuckles beneath her chin, “Well Maxine just got drugged. She probably terrified being alone.” She presses her hand into her face, knowing she going to regret this decision. “I have to be there for Maxine. I have to leave now, Chloe. I’ll text you later.” She hurries out the bedroom hastily.

Chloe still looking out the window in the distant, and mutters softly, even though she is long gone. “Bye Rachel...”

 

* * *

 

Rachel’s car speeds down the road towards her apartment underneath the red afternoon skies. She didn’t have a chance to text back Maxine or call her back that she is on the way.

 _“The more I think about it, this time travel isn't a good thing to have. Both, me and Max in the other timeline, no one will ever understand our suffering, because no one can retain their memories out of time.”_ Rachel’s own words echo in her mind. An empty void begins forming inside Rachel’s stomach. Her eyebrows lowers, and she pulls over to the side of the road.

“Shit,” she places her head down at the steering wheel. She clenches onto the steering wheel, with her fingers trembling. _Fuck me._

Rachel makes a U-turn and head towards Blackwell Academy.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Blackwell Academy - Outside

#### August 24th, 2016 6:13 PM

Rachel parks in the parking lot, in front of the large school. She looks around, hoping there isn’t any restriction on parking, as she never parked here before. The parking lot is pretty big with a few cars still scattered around, possibly faculty members.

She gets out her car, and walks up the stair. She looks at the huge school with the main entrance. _I think those were the doors that the Chloe in the other timeline got wheeled out of by the paramedics. Shortly, before she died..._. A sense of sadness strikes Rachel's heart, as the tragic events that Max had to deal with, races through Rachel's mind. She continues on heading towards the direction of the sign that says ‘Prescott Dormitory’.

Rachel’s phone begins ringing. It’s Maxine calling.

Rachel picks up, while pacing quickly towards the dorms. “Hey Maxine.”

“Rachel, where are you? You should be off work, right?”

“Maxine, I’ll call you back.”

“Rachel, is there something wrong?”

Rachel hangs up the phone and approach the courtyard in front of the female dormitory building. She looks up at the top of the building, and a sudden chill strikes through her heart. It looks like it is the exact place where Max jumped off in her vision.

There is an odd presence around her in this empty courtyard. It seems eerily empty, especially for just a little after six o' clock. There were faint sounds of kids, echoing across the courtyard. But Rachel isn't sure if they are real, or ghosts, or something that invented by her mind.

Feeling a little subdued by the desolate surroundings, Rachel musters out the courage and hold out her hand, freezing the time. However, the sky went instantly dark, and all of the sudden she can hear a gurgling voice right behind her. The last breath of air quietly exits out of Rachel's stiff, frozen body as she becomes completely drained of energy, collapsing down to her knees, and then flat back against the ground. Before her vision fades, she could not see who was behind her.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory : Room 222

#### October 13th, 2013 9:26 PM

Rachel is lying flat on the ground, however unable to move her body too much, as her body got hit hard by exhaustion, possibly from her powers. All she can see is a candle lit with a small flame, right beside a door. There is some violin being played right by her ear, but she couldn't turn to see who it is. Out of nowhere, a blue butterfly comes flying very close to the candle. _A blue butterfly? Wait! No, don't fly near the flame!_ The blue butterfly flies right by the flame, putting out the flame that was illuminating her room. The violin stops playing immediately, from the result of the now darkened room.

Rachel hears Max’s voice. “If anything do happen to me and I decide to leave this world, no one else should suffer because of it.”

 _Max!_ Rachel lets out a deep growl, that boiled beneath her throat. _You don't have to do this._

Rachel hears Max's voice, again. "Goodbye, Kate."

Rachel clenches her teeth as some energy within her, finally empowers her allowing her to move. She reaches out and put out her hand, towards the now-unlit candle. She squeezes her hand, gripping the air above her. All of the sudden, her hand envelops into a red flame with trail of smoke coming out of it. The flame did not feel warm, nor did Rachel care at all as she continues to look at the ceiling in a trance-like state. The room starts to become very distorted, and the ceiling begins to raise quickly to some impossible height that Rachel couldn't even see from her position.

Rachel's flutters her eyes closed, from the sudden loss of energy. From out of nowhere, she hears a different voice in her head.

“You used your time power, didn’t you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This was a very lengthy chapter but I really want to transition to Max's timeline in the next two chapters. I remember some people that completed Life is Strange, says your "actions don't matter" in some cases. That whole ideas is shown a little bit in this chapter. Are memories worthless, if the actions don't reflect them? Either way, this chapter did introduce some mature theme, with very mild and very tame "smut" scenes. In the future, there's probably more 'smut-like' scenes, but I don't plan on making it too explicit. The thing I really liked about this chapter, is writing about Rachel and Chloe, and their interaction and relationship with each other. I know everyone loves PriceField, so some people may not appreciate these bonding moments with Rachel and Chloe.
> 
> The next two chapters will return to Max's timeline. I'll post a pre-warning, but I'll mention it here. There are elements/references to some heavier stuff, especially topics about depression in those chapter. I hope people don't find it too too sad. (like this story isn't depressing, already, huh?)
> 
> Anyways, if you have any comments, feedback, or critique, do please leave them! I'm very happy to read them.


	9. Your Last Kind Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy theme, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay Police Station - 1F

#### October 13th, 2013 4:50 PM

Max’s body jerks, as she wakes up finding herself in Kate’s lap. They're still on the rustic bench, in the lobby of police station. She squeezes her eyelids tightly, to moistens her eyes and against the sudden brightness of the plain fluorescent lights, illuminating the generic flat white walls. The afternoon sun is still piercing through the blinds, adding some warm signs of life into the scene.

Kate’s hand delicately tucked in front of Max’s face, to prevent her from jolting forward, right into the white tile flooring. She turns her hand around, and rub with the backside across the brunette’s chin. “Careful, Max. Take it easy. Don’t get up too quickly.”

“I’m sorry, Kate.” She reaches and tug on Kate’s soft, dark blue sleeves of her cardigan, pulling it into her face to feel the softness.

 _Chloe...that was my first time seeing you dying. Now, I want you back even more._ Max palms her forehead, and rubbing her eyes with it.

“That’s okay. You scared me, Max. Thank God, you were only out for a few seconds.” Kate slides the back of her hand onto the forehead, making sure the poor girl did not have a sudden fever.

“Really?” _It felt like almost an entire day, I was gone._ Max sluggishly pushes herself off the bench, accidentally applying huge pressure onto the small knees of the church girl. Kate lets out a grunt underneath her breath. “I’m sorry.” She mutters non apologetic and dry tone. She almost repels off the bench, startled by her clumsy action. The whole time trip has put Max in a very disoriented state, as her bearings are slowly falling back in place.

Kate reaches for her body, and guide her so she is sitting upright, right besides her. “It’s okay, Max.” She lets out a soft, genuine smile.

Max takes a deep breath, holding it in to calm herself and to take a moment to remember what was going on just earlier. Her eyes drifts curiously to the side, away from Kate, and mutters very quietly under her breath. “Rachel?” She probably didn't say it loud enough, but at least Kate doesn't find it odd. She peers her head around in a suspicious fashion, even clearing her throat, in an attempt to get her attention. But nothing back from Rachel Amber. _She was real, right?_

Max turns her attention back to church girl since some things may have changed. _There is no tornado, so could Rachel’s power not trigger any tornadoes with her time power? Or maybe the tornado is linked directly with Chloe's death?_ Words were struggling to be formed together under her throat, with the myriad of thoughts passing though her mind. Her voice became raspy and low. “Kate, uh...why am I here?”

“Max?” Kate asks in an alert and inquiring tone. She gets up before she could respond to grab a cup, and fills it with cold water from the dispenser next to them. “Are you feeling little dazed, right now?”

Max gazes at the sparkling beads of water falling out of the machine and into the cup. “No, Kate. I’m fine, but please remind me, why am I here?”

Kate looks down at the cup, as it is filling to make sure it doesn’t overfill. She is very confused with Max's apparent amnesia, but she tries her best not to question it. “To view your parent’s body after the car accident.” She stops filling, and walks over to hand it delicately to her.

Max closes her eyes, and mouths ‘Shit’, and takes the cup offered from Kate. The cool water through the cup, feels great against her warm hands. Not really thinking much, she blurts out, “Chloe…she’s dead, huh?”

Kate gives her a concerning gaze, again curious what is going on with her, “Max?”

Realizing her questions were pointless and only making others more concerned about her, Max quickly replies back, “Kate, I’m fine.” She takes a sip of the cool water, the soothes the fires burning inside her body.

The clanking footsteps of leather shoes grows louder and louder on the white tiled floor, as Office Berry emerges from around the corner. “Miss Caulfield, come with me.”

Max gets up immediately, but the strength in both her legs, drain almost immediately, causing her to almost topple over. Officer Berry steps forward to offer her assistance. “No…” She takes a deep breath, massaging her legs with her hands. “I got this.”

Officer Berry nods solemnly, “We’re going to go down to the basement. That’s where their bodies are located.”

Suddenly, the images of the dark, obscured, grisly figure that was walking down the Oregon highway, flashes into the brunette’s mind. Sending a streak of cold terror across her body, almost paralyzing her nerves. She slowly turns around in a rigid way, changing her mind, “Kate, can you come with me?”

Kate glances at the police officer, then back at slightly terrified girl. Without asking any questions, “Sure, Max.”

Sensing a brief presence behind the blond, Max’s eyes shoots up, directing her attention past her. Possibly Rachel, but no response at all, or maybe she can't speak in this time frame.

Kate does a quick take behind her, and back, “What’s wrong, Max?”

Max shakes her head, looking down. “Nothing, Kate. Let’s go.”

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay Police Station - Basement

#### October 13th, 2013 4:56 PM

The elevator is creaky and old. The abnormal motor sound did not inspire any confidence in the safety for the occupants in it. The lights in the overhead had an amber hue to it, not sure if from the decaying state that left a film of filth over it or it is naturally like that. The three of them stands in almost in a formation with Officer Berry in the front, and the two small girls in the back.

Max knows she has to resists asking very awkward questions, but there is one that has been bugging her. She wants to know if she changed the past with Chloe. Max thinks hard on how to word it, to make it seems like a more legitimate question. 

“Kate, right after Chloe got shot, and she is being wheeled out. I went up to her and…” Without much confidence, she mumbles underneath her throat, “And I kissed her,” Kate nods her head, in acknowledgement. _So that did happened. Rachel did change my past._ “Uh..” Max stutters underneath her breath, as her shyness getting the best of her. Kate grabs her hand and gently squeezes it, combined with her genuine, sweet smile that Kate is known for, to give some courage to the brunette. Max looks down at Kate’s hand, feeling very blessed with her presence. “Kate, did anyone else say anything about it?”

Kate looks up at the grimy, elevator lights above them. Her mouth briefly opens, then she presses her lips tight, looking back down at the brunette. “I thought it was sweet and touching. And many people agreed to that.” Her eyes drifts away nervously, “But there’s a few that thought...you know-” She shrugs her shoulder, not wanting to continue. “They're being idiots."

Max looks blankly at Kate’s words. The kiss to Chloe, while she does not regret it, she is feeling a little self conscious about it, especially combined the past week has become a rewritten mystery, again. It was a small kiss, but it can easily trickle to just about anything, given the students at Blackwell. She's little touched that people like Kate didn’t take it the wrong way. But a little concerned about the _idiots_ Kate was talking about. Max nods, to play along that's she is fully understanding.

Kate’s grabs Max's arm and squeezes it close to her body. “Don’t worry about it. I’m here for you.”

Max looks back at Kate, as she also seems very troubled by it. _That newly missing week...Someone must be bullying me about it since, and I’m not aware of it._

The creaky elevator somehow, makes it to the basement floor, safely. Even though it is only one floor, it took over half a minute to go down.

The basement floor is dark, and isn’t very well illuminated. There is a line of fluorescent lights that hangs on some frail-looking cables. Combined with the ash gray walls, it really brings out the dread in this floor.

The three of them exits the elevator, and walk down the hallway. Kate asks while they're walking, “Officer Berry, is this the morgue for the city?”

Officer Berry replies back, “The hospital has the real morgue. This sort of doubles as a very small one. We don’t have a dedicated forensic office in Arcadia Bay, so sometimes bodies do come here.”

Max looks all around at the eerie hallway. “Was Rachel Amber...is her remains still here?”

Officer Berry walks for a bit, trying to dodge Max’s question. “I’m really not supposed to be telling you, that.”

Max looking at the backside of the tall officer, “Please, tell me. I’m a friend of Rachel’s.”

Officer Berry turns slightly, but not enough to give eye contact. “Sorry, I cannot give that information.”

Despite the officer not telling her, a chill rumbles inside her body, as she freezes in her path. There is a presence on this level, like some miasma that suffocates the air. It isn’t just from the derelict appearance, of this place. The other two doesn’t seem too phased by it, but Max is bothered by it. Unlike the presence she felt earlier right before coming down the basement, this one feels far more menacing.

Rachel, is still a mysterious person that Max knows nothing about her. These two timelines are all connected somehow, and Rachel has to be connected to her, even in this timeline. _She said she always wanted to be with me. Yet, we never even met. Unless...maybe we couldn’t be together. And...she changed it so we never met._

More questions races through her head, as she thinks back about Chloe talking about the tornado, saying it could possibly be Rachel’s wrath, getting revenge. _She did meet up with Chloe and became her new best friend. Chloe even loved her, too. But Rachel, rejected her...or at least distanced herself from her._

Officer Berry stops in his track, right before a long window, causing the two girls behind him to follow. “Okay, behind this window, you can see your parents behind it. You may not enter the room, so you can only view it from behind the window. Okay?”

There is a pulse in her throat, and suddenly it feels her eyes dilated, causing it to be more sensitive to the lights above her. “Okay.” She mutters just loud enough for Officer Berry to hear her.

Max takes a step forward, to look at the room who is far more illuminated than this hallway, making it ironically more lively looking. It is hardly an ideal viewing area. There were two long aluminum tables, side by side of each other, with a body on top of each one, covered by a large white towel.

Max presses her face into the window, her nose feeling the coldness of the room. “Mommy... Daddy...” She cries underneath her breath, with her hands trembling, down by her sides.

After those words, there is just silence from Max, as she observes closely at her dead parents. Both looks very cleaned up, with few visible wounds on their head. Their eyes were closed and lips pressed together tight. They look very peaceful, at least that is what Max tells her own heart.

Nearby is a cabinet with a hanger, with a ripped up light purple, orchid colored dress being hanged. The sounds of someone choking, and gurgling suddenly rings into her ears. It is the same dress that the figure wore when Max, was walking down that dark highway road.

“Mom, please…” Max pulls back from the window, trying to seek shelter from her supposed imagination. She feels a hand grabs her lower back, causing her to flinch.

“Max? It’s me.” Kate holds on to her but the small brunette slowly crumbles backwards onto her butt. “Max!”

“I just-...” Max rolls to her sides and curl up into a ball, and her hands begin shaking.

Officer Berry kneels down next to her, “She’s having a panic attack. Take deep breaths, Maxine.”

Max’s closes her eyes, trying to calm her breathing. Her body judders in a single twitch movement a couple times, then finally settling down, as she rests both her trembling knuckles beneath her chin.

_Okay, breath, breath. Deep inhale, and deep exhale._

She relaxes her furrowed eyebrow, and continues to take deep breaths.

She can hear Officer Berry’s voice, while almost sounds like a faint echo in this tornado that's going in her mind. “Keep at it Max, it looks to be very mild. You’re doing great.”

Kate presses both her hands together by her chest, with her eyes closed, praying for Max’s wellness.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay Police Station - Outside

#### October 13th, 2013 5:37 PM

The cool breeze in the late afternoon of autumn, the rustling of the leaves, and the rays from the sun as it slowly makes it way towards the horizon, all creates a rather peaceful soothing setting. The wind gently caresses into the numb skin of Max’s, who is sitting in a wheelchair overlooking the small courtyard in front of the police station. The vibrant green grass and shrubs, gives out a very nature feel, with the only thing missing is the faint chirping of birds to complete the package. While the peaceful setting is appreciating, it only put a band-aid on the badly wounded young photographer.

Max reaches down, squeezing her knees with enough pressure, it is seems it could cause bruises. Many things has happened today, and what felt like only few hours ago with snuggling up with her mother and father at her 12th birthday, they are now forever gone from this world. _I want to see them...just once more. Please, Rachel. I need to see them both, and Chloe._

Max’s phone buzzes in her pocket. She reaches for it, seeing she has a text message.

> **Joyce:** Hey Max, please come by sometimes, okay? Love you. (5:38PM)

Max stares back, at the phone. Trying hard not to think about her parents' deaths, but same time, even harder to to hold back her tears. Joyce and David are both mourning and suffering greatly from Chloe’s death. But still seeing her text, reminds Max that she has someone to go to, and Joyce always been like her second mother, and she can understands the pain Max is going through.

She presses her lips, trying to hold in the tears from the corner of her eyes, trying to text with her blurry vision.

> **Max:** Sure thing. Love you too, Joyce. (5:38PM)

_We have to stick together. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll swing by the place. But...it going to destroy me, seeing Chloe's room all empty...The school officials is probably going to find out about my parents, if not already. And I’m sure David will too. I guess that better than me having to break the news to them._

Footsteps approaches her from behind, as Kate rests her hand onto Max's shoulder, causing her to look up. She sees Kate is holding a plastic cup of water in her other hand, offering it to her. “Kate…Thanks again.” She takes the cup, and sips in the cold, refreshing water.

She sees the tears clinging hard onto her eyes, but doesn't comment on it. She squeezes Max’s shoulder, giving her a soft massage. “Are you feeling better?”

Kate's touch feels very warm, relaxing her, combined with the cool drink going into her body. “Mm-hmm”, she mumbles as she is still drinking the water. She gulps the rest of the cup, and place it by her lap. She lets out a satisfying exhale, trying to take a objective view of what just happened. The sudden amount of stress of seeing her parents’ bodies, triggered her to having a panic attack. Luckily, she handled it better this time than earlier ones with some relaxation techniques. “Did I scare you?”

"No," Kate shakes her head. The hand she still has on Max's shoulder, she squeezes it a little more. "I'm just glad you're okay." 

Max looks at her fingers digging into her shoulder, then back up at the blond girl. "You're very sweet, Kate." 

Kate's eyes drifts to the side, giving a nervous smile. “So, are you ready to go? Or you need some more time?”

Max nods her head, as the cool draft of wind is finally diluting her senses enough. “Let’s go.” She gets up from the wheelchair and turns around, finally noticing bunch of paper works rolled up, sticking out of the bag, she is carrying. “What is that?”

Kate looks down at the rolled up papers. “Some papers and brochures. This lady uh...she was lurking around, and she said she provided funeral service. She said she can deal with the life insurance easier, and... _something something._ ”

Max feels a small ripple of void sending across her stomach, just hearing about anything related with her parents’ deaths. “I see..." She doesn't want to talk anymore about it, especially about the funeral. She just went to Chloe's funeral, and that was painful already. "Let’s go, Kate.”

Kate lowers her eyebrow, knowing she brought up some news, that's upsetting to Max. She grabs the wheel chair by the handle and spin it around towards the entrance of the station, "I’ll give this back to them.” Kate looks out towards the bus stop bench by road, “Bus should be coming soon.”

 

* * *

 

It was a quiet bus ride back to Blackwell Academy. No one really knew what to say, and what to actually discuss.

Max asked Kate, if she could come over and sleep over for the night. She didn’t actually admit the reason why to Kate, but the sight of her parents’ bodies, plus the horror sight of her mother on the road. Max feared she will be disturbed in her sleep again. Some company also would help with the loneliness feeling, too. Kate agreed, regardless, wanting to be there for Max, as much as she can.

Both of the students paced themselves back to their dorm rooms, passing by their classmates like Dana and Warren without a single mention of what happened earlier today. For all they knew, Max is still recovering from Chloe’s death, and Kate is right beside her.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory : Room 219

#### October 13th, 2013 9:24 PM

The room is dimly lit by the lamp on Max's desk, and the rope lights above her bed, creating a rather intimate ambiance in the room. It would be deathly silent, if it weren't for the loud television noise from Victoria's, coming across the hallway. Max, quietly sits on the floor, leaning her back against the side of the bed. Her right elbow is resting on top of her knee, with her Polaroid camera dangling loosely in her fingers. On the ground, scattering around her were many pictures, including the blue butterfly photo.

Max’s eyes lazily turn towards the camera she has in her hand. She lifts it higher to be centered with her face, as she stares deeply into the lens of the Polaroid camera. The dark lens seems like a portal to a fathomless abyss, as well many unanswered questions that lingers in the young photographer's mind. _How does looking at photos, allow me to go back in time?_ She never got a chance to question her powers and its connection. She may never will find out what it is source, or more importantly, why she got the power.

_Rachel used her powers to go back in the past. There were no boundaries in her time hop, unlike mines. Maybe her power is far more advanced than mines is. There doesn’t seem to have any consequences with hers, unlike mines. Will my power ever become as strong as Rachel’s?_

She blinks her eyes, re-wetting it; she looks at the camera with her most presentable face she can make at the moment, and snaps a picture with the camera. The motor in the camera spits out the white Polaroid slip, and she picks it up to fan it. 

Her eyes glance all over the floor where the pictures she scattered on the floor. She rotates between each one, muttering each photo out loud, with a voice slightly above a whisper.

“The Blue Butterfly, right before Chloe’s death.” _Rachel mentions she saw a timeline where I killed Chloe with the morphine overdose. That was where I changed it, to let William die. Does that mean, there is a timeline out there where Chloe and I, are running away from the storm, together. And letting it destroy the town? What if most people survived the storm? Then, would letting the tornado happen be better, so I can have Chloe and my parents again?_ She moves on to the next photo.

“My 12th birthday, with me and Chloe as pirate.” _I went into this with Rachel. I wonder if she requires a picture to warp to a time frame? But then again, she was able to fast forward right into Chloe’s final moments._

“The hockey game in Seattle, earlier this year.” _I remember wanting to go to a hockey game after submitting my essay for Blackwell Academy admission application. My dad thought it was a good break for me to take my mind off things. And it sure was. Daddy..._

“Prom…or more like night of prom.” Max grips on the picture, harshly, almost wanting to tear the picture. _This awful night. Our prom was very early being around mid March. I remember I got very mad at my parents that night, but it died down quickly. Mid March...this is before Rachel went to that Vortex Club party, shortly before her disappearance._

Max picks up the Polaroid film that is still slowly developing. “And the night of my parent’s death.” She closes her eyes, and tosses the picture to the side. _If I do anything I'm going to regret, going forward. I can use this picture as something to fallback to._

She squeezes the top of her nose. _I need to talk to Chloe. Is there a picture of me before I left for Seattle? We stopped taking pictures together, because our relationship deteriorated after William’s death. I remembered going to that clinic with Chloe. That was when we had a falling apart from each other. I gave her my entire piggy bank for that pill, but she flipped out on me for leaving her for Seattle. And to be honest, besides the bathroom at Blackwell Academy, that was pretty much the last time I saw Chloe. She didn’t see me and my parents off at the airport, or even say good bye. She was absolutely furious with me._

Max hugs herself, wrapping her arms over her chest. “Rachel...I’m very sorry, but please come back to me. I need to talk to Chloe. One last time. You can undo everything so nothing gets changed. But I need to talk to her. I’m falling apart...No one is there to grab my hand. And I don’t know, if I’m making the right choice.” _I know there is really no right choice. But talking it out with Chloe, will sure make me feel better._

The phone right beside her, vibrates. Someone sent a text message.

> **Nattaya:** I’m seriously busy with job interviews. Can’t you just handle everything yourself? (9:26 PM)

Max picks up her phone and throws it across the room, onto her couch. _My aunt is not helpful at all. She wants me to handle all the funeral service. My mother's family is full of unhelpful dumb shits._ She lets out a sigh. _Honestly, I don't know if there's that many people even going to their funeral service. Everyone is out of town, and clearly don't care enough._ It is too early to jump to any conclusion to who can really make it to the funeral service. But still the thoughts of people, not knowing Chloe's sacrifice, and not caring about her parents, truly angers Max.

Someone knocks on the door, pulling the brunette’s attention towards the door. She puts down the camera and carefully move all the photos underneath the bed, away from any foot traffic. She does a quick stretch with her arms, then she opens the door finding Kate on the other side of it.

Max didn't do too great of her job of hiding her emotions. She greets with a sluggish, drained voice, “...Hey.” Kate has a soft smile on her face, but she looks a bit distracted, staring off to the side, probably at drawing slate right outside of her door. Max, steps forward, tilting her head towards the direction of the slate, “Did someone draw on my board?”

Kate shakes her head, replying in a colorless voice, “No.”

Max is not convinced at all with Kate’s reply, knowing that there is likely going to be bullies picking on her. Even today so far have tossed Max down a hole to the abyss, she didn’t want Kate or anyone to sugarcoat anything. She steps out abruptly, almost startling the church girl. She sticks her head out to look at the slate. There was something drawn, but it got erased very recently with fingers. Max glares at Kate with suspicion, who you can feel the uneasy warmth and tension in her face from a foot away. She looks at the blond’s fingertips to see if there is any trace of marker on it, but she has her fingers curled up, so you cannot see it. She senses Max’s provoking aura, causing her to let out an awkward, nervous chuckle. Max asks in a stern voice, “What did it say, Kate?”

Kate’s eyes makes a dash to the left, then to the right, a little startled with Max’s tone. She didn’t want to put another burden onto her for today. “Ah well, it was just something stupid.” She looks at Max's, which just demands for her to keep continuing with her stare, alone. “I feel a little uncomfortable talking about it.” And again, Max looks back with an unsympathetic look, not letting Kate have it her way. “It is two people having...oral…” Kate lets out an annoyed groan, as she struggles to say the next word. She repeats, “Oral…”

“Sex?” Max fills in the blank, still in the stern voice.

Kate rolls her eyes away, still not at all proud of it, even if it is Max finishing the sentence. She nods her head, “Mm-hmm.”

Max’s head lowers slightly to her shoulder. “I don’t get it, what does that have to do with-” Her eyes lowers, her fingers flinch for a moment. Kate senses this abrupt emotion transition, that she steps forward and hold out her hand, pressing against Max’s side. “Kate, did they draw blue hair on one of the person?” Her lips begins quivering, and slowly bubbling with immense anger, awaiting for Kate’s reply.

Kate squeezes her hand that was resting on Max's side. “No, they didn’t.”

Max’s body feels weak, causing Kate to hold onto it even tighter. “But they’re implying it, aren’t they?” Her legs starts to feel weak, causing her to almost fall down to her knees. But Kate pulls Max back up, guides her from the doorway back into the room, and gently kicking the door behind her to close it, for some privacy. Max is absolutely furious that someone is insulting her deceased best friend. “She got murdered! What...kind of world does this?”

Kate looks deeply into Max’s eyes with determination, despite feeling hesitant to what she has to say. But sensing Max’s growing sorrow against the bullies that could be mocking her and Chloe. Kate pouts her lips sadly, dipping her head, “Max… the stick figure has blond hair. In fact, she had a hair bun,” she slowly raises her index finger, pointing at her own hair. “Someone bought a yellow marker, just for that.”

Max looks at Kate, pointing at her own hair. She feels a brief sudden relief but that gets squashed almost immediately and it replaced with pity. “Kate?” She grasps at her chest with her hand, looking down at it. “I’m so sorry.” _Are people thinking me and Kate are in a relationship, now? Just because she is helping me so much lately, and supporting me._ “Is it because you always been there for me? Being supportive?” Max wants to clarifies more, “Kate, you been so helpful.”

Kate’s head is still tilting downward. She avoids answering Max’s question, “Don’t worry, Max. I’m here for you.” Her tone has some hint of disappointment in it. She walks past her, towards her desk, just to deflect the conversation a little bit. There seems to be some signs of frustration within Kate, but Max did not want to confront it. Not this moment, at least. Kate’s curious eyes glances at Max’s messy desk and sees there is some prescription bottles.

She follows Kate’s eyes, curiously eyeing her prescription bottles, then Max walks over to swipe it in her hand. A part of her wants to hide the medicine because she is ashamed, but deep down inside, she trusts Kate and maybe it is time to be more transparent to her. “This is medicine...” She spins one of the bottle around, looking at its label. “...for my social anxiety. It helps with stress and depression.” She continues spinning the bottle, in a fidgeting way.

Kate walks up to her, putting her hand on Max’s shoulder. “Does it help you?”

Max closes her eyes, shaking her head. “Yes. Sometimes I can feel like I’m drowning, if I get into too big group of people, or if something...” Her eyes reopens, turning towards Kate. “About earlier, I don’t think it would have helped. Sorry, that about all I can really say. There are many things messed up with me.”

Kate closes her eyes. There is really nothing good to say in this situation, to someone that lost just about everything keeping her sane. “No-” Kate lets out a sigh, and squeezing her eyelids closed. “Whatever it takes to make you feel a little better, during rough times.”

Max feels a sting in her eyes. She feels like her body is free falling down without anyone to help break the fall. Very detached with reality, and she hasn’t truly accepted anything, yet. She partially lives in a fictional dream world, where she can one day be the superhero to save her best friend and her parents. Ironically, that glimmer of hope is also the very same thing that is eating her. “There is one thing that may make me feel a little better. But I need you to keep this a secret, Kate.”

Kate opens her eyes, and nods her head. She steps back towards Max’s bed sitting down on her knees, on the floor beside the bed. Max, kneels down following her. Not sure what Max has to say, Kate reaches for Max’s hand, rubbing it in an affectionate way, “Of course, tell me, Max.”

Words is stuck in her throat, as Max struggles to decides what the best way to put it. She lets out a long sigh to calm her nerves down. “Let see, how do I begin this? I don’t expect you to believe me, Kate. But please, don’t...” She lets out a groan. _There no way she’ll believe this, she going to think it completely stupid._ Kate squeezes Max’s hands, giving a even wider smile, to instill some confidence into the brunette. Max’s looks down at her hands, “Kate, I was given some power, about a week back. I’m not even sure how I got it.” Kate’s tilts her head on a slant, in a playful but inquiring way. Max continues, “I have the ability to rewind time. And I used it to save Chloe in the restroom, by hitting the fire alarm, to prevent her from getting shot by Nathan.”

Kate’s head tilts backward and her mouth opens, slightly. She can senses Max is dead serious about it, squashing Kate's playful movements. “Max...that’s...” She stops talking, letting Max continue on.

“By saving her, everything went totally different. I was able to spent the week with her. But Nathan and Mark Jefferson got away with it until the very end. You...” Max points her index finger at the church girl. Kate looks back with wide, curious eyes, still not sure what to make out of Max’s words. “Victoria posted the video of the Vortex Club on the internet, and people started bullying you. Your mother and aunt scolded you, and practically said you committed an unforgivable act. And that God will no longer forgive you.” Kate’s eyes dips down, finally some words that Max is saying starting to sound familiar.

Max pulls Kate’s hand, and hold onto it dearly, and continuing on, “You felt you let your family down, and they abandoned you. You wanted to end your life.” Max’s eyebrows drop down, “And you did.” Kate’s mouth open slightly, suddenly feeling some sorrow within herself. “But I was able to rewind time to stop you from jumping. I talked to you, that I was there for you. I told you, your father and your younger sister Lynn, will always be there for you.” Kate’s presses her lips, and her eyes couldn’t maintain contact with Max. “Then I was able to talk you out of it.”

Kate’s eyes look up at the ceiling, almost wanted to believe some of it, but same time she doesn’t believe it at all. “Max, you are a great person. I know you will always be there for me, when I need it the most. I never ever will doubt that.” There is an uneasiness tone in Kate's voice. She almost wants to roll her eyes, but it will be too disrespectful. “But Max, go on, what happened?”

Max continues and mildly glad that Kate is showing some interest in her story. “Many things happened afterwards, it is a mess to explain everything. We discovered Rachel’s body in the junkyard, and Mark Jefferson killed Chloe and Nathan. I was able to rewind time to save Chloe, but then this...tornado.” Max looks down, gripping hard, and digging her nails onto her jeans. “This damn tornado was going to destroyed the town.” She bites the inside of her lips, as she is struggling to contain the emotions in. “I caused the tornado with my rewind power. So basically my options was either walk away with Chloe and let the town get destroyed. Or go back in time to the restroom, and not change any events, by letting Chloe...” She lets out soft whimper. 

Kate senses Max is finished with her story, then she reaches over to give her a hug. Even when she doesn’t believe anything Max is saying, she is very polite. Any other person would have just called her ‘crazy’ earlier on.

Max drapes her head onto Kate’s shoulder and wraps her own arms around Kate’s body. Max whispers into Kate, even though her head is pressed down. “Kate, I know you don’t believe me. But it is true. I’m suffering the anguish and grief with their deaths but same time, I’m not processing it like a normal person. A part of me,” she pulls her head off from her body, bringing her face right up close to Kate’s. “A part of me, believe I can still save them...but at what cost? The entire town?”

Kate nods her head, bringing her right hand to brush Max’s bangs. “You are putting a lot of stress into yourself.” Kate doesn’t believe Max’s words but at same time, she doesn’t want to discount any of her thoughts and emotions, because she truly cares about her. 

_Even though she doesn't believe me, I still feel better talking to her. It's always a blessing to talk to her._

Kate’s phone beeps, breaking the silence in the air. Max takes a deep breath, realizing she must have been holding her breath for the most part, when she was pouring out her soul. Kate looks at her phone and reaches for it. “I’m sorry, Max. Let me read this.”

Max wraps her own arms around her body, in a nervous manner. “Sure, it's fine.” The soft blue glow from her phone illuminates her face, as the warm color in her face disappears almost immediately, with her eyes widening. Max senses this and scoots closer to her. “Kate?”

Kate snaps out of it with her mouth moving, as she if she is muttering inaudible words. She puts her phone back in her bag, looking at the door. “Max...I...” She stands up, brushing her skirt. “I have to leave.”

Max stands up and closes the short distance between each other. “What happened? Is everything okay? Are you coming back, later?”

Kate walks towards the door, “No, I can’t.” She hesitates, wanting to look over her shoulder, back at Max, but she couldn’t. “Max, you should get some rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Max.”

Max senses the urgency in Kate’s tone, she extends out her right hand towards her. “Kate, please...tell me.”

Kate presses her hand flat against the brown door. Her head slouches to the side, resting on her extended arm. “Someone...forwarded a picture to my church group.”

Max’s eyes widen. “Shit, more from the Vortex Club party?” _I never knew for sure if her church group saw the Vortex Club video, but I guess she did implied it._

Kate turns her body around to face Max, pressing her back straight up against the door, crossing her arms nervously. “No, it isn’t from that night. It is actually from a video, but they forwarded pictures of it. It is just of me helping you, a few days ago.”

Confusion fills Max’s mind. It didn’t ring a bell at all. “Wait what? When did this happen?”

Kate looks up at Max, a little shocked and hesitant on opening up deep wounds for Max. “You don’t remember? When Logan and Zach were picking fun at you? Calling you…” Kate’s eyes drifts off to the side, “Names.” She looks back at Max’s deeply confused eyes. “You really don’t remember?”

Max shrugs her shoulder, a mixed of confusion and disgusted by anything that deals with Logan and Zachary. “What happened?”

Kate bites her lips, “Huh?” She looks down, still shocked, with her apparent amnesia. “You broke down in tears, when you were standing near the bathroom door where Chloe got shot.” Kate’s lips tremble talking about blue haired punk to Max.”You ran off to the hallway behind it and both Logan and Zach followed you. And they were being…” Kate holds back some profanities from escaping her mouth. “They kept calling you…” Her mouth stops again, disappointed in just about every other few words she has to say.

“What, they were calling me a lesbian, or something?” Max’s eyebrow furrow a little bit. Kate nods her head in silence. Fury boils into Max's body, causing her to burst. “She was my best friend! She was dying!” She erupted in anger. “Is it wrong to kiss the person you loved?”

“Not at all. Believe me Max, I really mean that.” Kate clarifies, almost as if she afraid of Max's thoughts about her conservative beliefs.

“You fell down and started crying. That was when I helped you up.” Kate lets a pause, looking at Max, hoping anything would click but still nothing. “This is when you grabbed me, and hugged me.” She seems like she was blushing, or perhaps just absolutely shy about the whole encounter.

Max bites her lips, feeling the emotion that Kate is always there, protecting her. “Thanks, Kate. What happened next?”

“They just laughed at me, even more. Logan was recording all of that on his phone.” Kate’s eyes drifts away. “Callum tried to get Logan’s phone but both him and Zach is just way too big. They shoved Callum away. I feel bad because he is a new student, and already getting in trouble with bullies.”

Max’s eyes roll to the side, thinking about that person’s name. “Who’s Callum?”

Kate’s eyes lowers, looking at Max in an inquiring way. Like as if her eyes were recording Max’s subtle expressions, “He just started Blackwell Academy, this past week. He is a very nice guy.”

“I didn’t think they accept students partially through the school year.”

“With the school reputation on the decline, the principal will take what he can get. Interesting thing, Callum seems to be very upset about Rachel Amber’s death.”

That partially grabs Max’s attention. “Did he know her?”

Kate shakes her head, “I doubt it. But he is from Long Beach, though. And just seeing the funeral service flyers everywhere. I guess I would get a little sad too, if I heard that a student at the school who went missing, is later found murdered by a teacher here.”

“Yeah that's true." Max nods in agreement, her body fidgeting in the short silence. "So...no one else stepped in?”

“No, there were no one nearby at the time. It was just me and Callum that strolled by. David Madsen, well he’s still off from Chloe’s death. This all happened very quickly, too.”

More this conversation continues, the more Max is becoming increasingly irritated with the bullying in this school. Now both her and Kate are targets of it. “So someone forwarded pictures to your church group. And spreading rumors that I’m a lesbian, because I kissed my dying best friend?”

There is a short silence in Kate, as she looks deeply into the brunette's eyes. “Max, they’re more after me. I was putting up some posters for my abstinence stand and bible study club. And they see that I’m with you a lot, and started to bullying me. They’re saying I’m contradicting or that I am trying to take _advantage_ of you during troubled times.” Max runs her hands up her face, to her hairs, pulling on it, in frustration of the story that Kate told her. “It’s been spreading around more than just Logan and Zach. There's just bunch of idiots in this school.” Kate looks down, disappointed in herself. “But I’m so weak.”

Max covers her face with her hands. _Poor Kate. I really want to help her._ “So the text message you just got, it's from your pastor or something?”

Kate’s lips quiver, at the thought of the text. “Nope. It was from my mom.” Max reveals her face from her hands, in pure shock and terror. “There are a few people in my church group that goes to Blackwell Academy. Those people are actually never active, but they still have access to our social media. They have been spreading twisted rumors to everyone at my church group, even my pastor. Then my pastor forwarded this image to my parents. Saying there is some concerns about...me. And that I was hanging out real close to you. Combined with the rumors, well...you get the point.” Kate closes her eyes, not wanting to continue the sentence.

“They’re afraid that I may fall in love with you and corrupt you?” Max asks, in a sarcastic tone. Kate looks at her, then away, unable to maintain eye contact. Max falls back taking a few steps back. “Damn it, why are people so fucking cruel?”

Kate sniffs her nose, “I don’t know. But Max, maybe it is best we can...call it a night?”

Max lets out a sigh, but not disagreeing with Kate. _Maybe it is best, I have enough things to deal with one day. I really wanted Kate to be here with me._ “Yeah...” She swallows, to keep her throat from tightening. “It is probably best, Kate. I’ll just see you tomorrow at your abstinence stand. At 10am, right?”

Kate didn’t respond to Max, immediately. She is still looking down towards the ground. “No.” Max looks back confused, she shifts to the side to get a better view of Kate’s face. “Max, it probably best if we can be away from each other for a little bit.”

Max’s eyes lowers, not liking where this is going. “Why?” She knows the answer, but it is the best reply she can come up with. The thought of Kate having to stay away from her, feels like a huge rock is crushing the insides of her chest, almost causing her to pant for air. “How long?”

Kate runs her fingers at the ends of her skirt, “Like maybe couple of weeks?” Max’s heart skips a beat, hearing her words, almost thinking she has to be joking. But she is dead serious. “I’m very scared what my family is thinking. My mother been absolutely furious with me, lately. And my church. I’m already have so much trouble with the Vortex Club video, and this would be one extra thing to...” She couldn’t finish the sentence. She knows what she saying is going to ruin Max, but it is something she needs to do.

Max turns her head, facing the photo collage on the wall. Max, feels the pain Kate is going through. She suffered a lot in the other timeline, but at least in this timeline we know the real suspects is Nathan and Mark Jefferson. But still, her family isn’t very rational or sympathetic. A rising feeling of guilt enters Max, but at same time, she needs Kate to be there for her. Her mind has been an absolute wreck. It is going to be devastating, if Kate cannot be by her side, anymore. “Kate...my parents just died today.” Kate covers her nose and mouth with both of her hands. “I...I really need someone...some help as much as possible.” She swallows, to clear a lump in her tightening throat. “My aunt has been giving me hard time with the funeral planning.” She couldn’t continue, as a part of her doesn’t want to burden Kate anymore.

Kate sniffs through her hands, “Max...” her voice is muffled, going through her tight throat, as she is also trying her best to hold her tears in. She drops her hands from face, “I will promise to help you with the funeral service. I will have a look at those brochures and papers, and help you out tomorrow. I’ll text you.”

This is first time Kate is actually not being helpful, but it is understanding. Kate’s family must be drilling on her, and constantly picking on her about it. And, combined with the idiots spreading rumors to her church group. But deep down inside, Max still want someone to be there for her. But if Kate gets pushed too hard, then a repeat of her suicide will ensue. But at the same time, Max is also falling dangerously close to that route.

Max nods her head, almost coldly, and she continues to stare deeply at the photo memorial wall, trying to snuff out the thoughts of Kate, as much as she can. “Okay, Kate.” Max barely able have the strength to murmur that over her voice. She couldn’t bear continuing the conversation anymore, knowing this conversation will never go the way she wants to.

Kate looks up at what Max is staring, and then back to the brunette. Kate is little speechless with Max’s lack of words, but in the most gentle, sincere voice she can force out of her throat, “I will help you, Max. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She opens the door, and turns around waiting for Max’s reply.

Max didn’t say anything back to Kate, as there is nothing else to be said. There is a brief silence, with Kate waiting a little bit, leaning to the side slightly, to get a better view of Max’s face. But still nothing. She lowers her head down, ashamed that she can’t be there for Max, slowly leaves the room.

Max waits a few moments, hoping maybe she’ll change her mind. But then, there’s the faint sound of Kate opening and closing the door to her room.

Her best friend and her parents are dead. She tilts her head back, with her nose tipped up. She closes her eyes, with her lips pressed, shakily. She never been one person to be accepted by many people. Now Kate is gone from her, now. There no way Kate can be there for her, without being ridiculed by students and her parents. She definitely have no one else in her life to even hold her, when she falls. Kate was the last lingering light that help shined hope upon her. Seeing a pure person like Kate to be pushed to the edge and chose to end her own life, really made Max values her kindness and nurturing spirit. She could have very well be the next best friend of Max’s, but it will never happen anymore.

 _I fucking saved you, all._ Max clenches her teeth. Frustrated, she is so weak she couldn’t make the right decision in front of her best friend. She clenches her fists hard, digging her nails deep into her skin, causing it to glow white. _This is your last kind words to me? ‘Fuck you, now go to hell’?_

Max drops her head back, and turns her head to the left, looking at the prescription medicines. She stares at them with pity, as those medicines were constant reminder of what she hated about herself. Hurtful memories from Seattle comes crashing back into her body to remind her what she is worth to this world in everyone’s eyes. Not only the world abandoned her, Kate as well.

She lets out a chuckle. Pressing her lips together, and looking back at the memorial wall. _This is all stupid..._ She tucks both of her hands in her pockets.

A sudden urge to escape surges through her body. To get away from all of this shit that she is going through. She walks out of her room and down the long dark hallway of the woman’s dormitory. There were noises coming from each of the doors, ranging from phone conversations to television blasting to add some life into this otherwise lifeless and grim hallway.

In the corner of her eyes, she passes by Kate’s closed door. Among the chattering noises, there is an unnatural silence emanating from the room. Possibly Kate is still leaning her back against the door, ashamed of what she just did. _Good. I hope you feel bad._

When she reaches to the end of the hallway, she opens the door to the stairway, to looks up at the stairs, almost in a gracious way. _Those were the stairs that Kate took to the rooftop, in the other timeline._ Spending a moment to gaze at it, she deflects her temptation for now, and turns her attention to walks down the stairs to the first floor.

She walks out of the dormitory to the chilly windy night. She's going to freezes from it as she didn't have her hoodie jacket, but it at same time, helps numb the rage in her mind. There is a strange presence already in the courtyard of the front dormitory, that despite unrelenting thoughts that races through Max’s mind, this actually paralyzes her into her track. Something was watching her, and giving a sense of dread inside her.

Still determined to get away from the dorm, she musters with all the courage she has, and makes her way towards the base of the hill, in front of the Tobanga totem pole. Her body feels heavy and fatigued, and collapses onto the grass. The blades of the moist green grass feels great pressing against her body. She curls up her body, and press the side of her face onto the slightly damp grass.

Voices from her past begins to pollute her mind.

“ _Hey, Max...are you missing something?”_

“ _...hey, that’s mines. Give it back. How did you get it?”_

“ _We just grabbed it from your backpack, when you weren’t looking. I googled this, looks like someone has depression issue.”_

“ _...Stop it, please...Give it back...”_

Her mouth shifts uneasily on her face, trembling with the thoughts about being bullied in the past in Seattle. She tilts her head slightly, letting some tears escape from the corner of her eyes.

_Yeah, I never really been one to be accepted by people. Maybe Chloe helped hide these inner demons that were latching onto my souls. When I left her, it all fell apart. I made some friends in Seattle, but no one like Chloe. As time moves on, my courage to call Chloe diminishes. We were both too stubborn to call each other, as she had her issues and I had mines. Maybe it wasn't the bullies that I hated, the person I hate the most, is myself._

_The doctor did see signs of mild form of Asperger’s Syndrome developing inside me, and possibly social anxiety disorder. It was difficult for me to make friends, as I could never fully grasp what people are talking about or what they're thinking. Often, I regretted what I said after a conversation, that is assuming I’m fully aware of what I did. I always wished I could rewind time, and take back of things I've said, or things I've done. I would distanced myself and avoid many places. The medicine would help with my anxiety a little bit, but it only does so much. It doesn't make me a perfect communicator._

_And then that damn prom...Mom always wanted me to fit in with the others. She insisted I should go in case I get accepted at Blackwell Academy, and in case they didn’t offer prom or something similar. Even if it was in my junior year, she said it is something very important to be remembered. And yep, it is something to be remembered. I got very angry at Mom that night, and she feels bad for it. She had issues with her family, too. Because of that she swore to always be there for me. And then, she broke that promise today. Shit...I’m sorry Mom, I didn’t mean-_

Max lets out a sharp exhale. _I know I’m not thinking straight. But I just never meant to fit in with people. Only person accepted me was Chloe. And she gave her life for this fucking town. And some of them dare to bully me, for kissing someone that saved their fucking life? I fucking gave up my best friend and my parents for you ungrateful assholes. No one cared about Chloe. And definitely no one else out there cares about me-_

“Max?” a voice calls out in the distant. Max rolls over, tilting her head, but she couldn’t really see who it is, because of the tears in her eyes were making everything look blotchy and blurry. Even blinking, didn't clear her vision enough. “Max!”, the sound of footsteps rushing on the paved concrete floor towards her.

The voice is finally familiar. The brunette blinks her eyes again, clearing it more. It's Kate, staring back in complete shock, in the current state Max is in.

Max’s eyebrow furrows, looking at the pure, holy girl with disgust. Her hand slowly squeezes the ground, uprooting the grasses from the soil. The faint glow from the lamp post, reflects glossy teeth she is clenching, in anger.

She murmurs, underneath her breath. Soft, but full of bitterness. “You too…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This chapter is interesting for me to write. Max is becoming a little desperate in trying to figure her limits of her. Both as a "normal human being", and as a "time master". I wanted to bring bullying back into the story, as well. There's always those students that feels Kate is too easy of a target to pick on given her kindness. Combined with the conservative beliefs and that she "shows it off" around in school, she is a target of bullying. And again, her family and church group isn't very helpful, as people are spreading twisted rumors about her.
> 
> Life is Strange is a pretty dark universe. I know there is some heavy stuff. In fact some stuff in this chapter was a little hard to write, because towards the end Max is feeling very self-destructive and angry with everyone. It isn't very un-"Max"-like, but she has gone through a lot, and she is never catching a break. She is feeling all alone, and abandoned by everyone. And a few hurtful memories in the past from people in Seattle, even Chloe is coming back to haunt her. I know Max keeps saying "no one is there for her", even though someone like Joyce or even David, sympathizes with her. But when you're young, socially, you tend to only associate yourself with people around your age.
> 
> I know next chapter is going to be an interesting one to write... :D


	10. Free Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy theme, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Outside

#### October 13th, 2013 9:32 PM

The night is gentle with a very slight breeze, gently swaying the leaves on the trees. The crickets in the distant, chirps into the cool autumn evening. There were several windows on this side of the building, illuminating with a warm hue. Moths dances around the lampposts that lit the rest of the large open area. In the section that isn’t as well lit, lies Max who is crumbled down on the ground, propped up by one of her hand.

She takes a deep breath, trying to swallow the pride she has bubbling underneath her chest. _I don’t think I can deal with this, right now._ She mutters quietly, “Go back to your room.”

Kate looks down at Max, with her caring eyes. Her chest is still heaving up and down, as she is still winded from her dash to get here. “Not with you on the ground like this.”

Max punches the earth beneath her, to let loose some anger fueling inside, causing the blond girl to flinch. She pushes herself up, sitting onto her butt flat against the grass. “I needed some fresh air. Why are you even out here?”

Startled, Kate interlocks her hands together, pressing it into her chest. She talks through her rhythmic, heavy breathing, the best she could, “Max, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have walked away from you.” She pauses for a moment, her eyes narrowing, as she finally catches her own breath. “Then I saw you walking to the stairway, I had to chase after you to make sure.”

Max rolls her irritated eyes, wrapping her arms around her knees. “I’m okay. I feel better being out here with fresh air, than inside my room.”

Kate takes a step closer towards Max, standing on the edge of the concrete path, where it meets the grass. “I’ll sit here, then.”

“Kate, I just need some time, to myself.”

“Max, I’m not leaving you alone.”

She cannot keep her cool anymore, as she becomes increasingly more frustrated. “Get a fucking damn clue, Kate. I don’t want you, here.”

Kate’s mouth drops slightly, a little off guard again, with the sudden outbursts. “Max, I’m very sorry about before.”

“You know what? Why am I even bothering with talking to you right now.” The brunette squeezes her fists. “I can just rewind time, and you will go back to your damn room, before this whole conversation even started.”

There is a short silence from Kate, which ends with a sigh, “Max, let’s go talk back in your room.”

Max’s eyes looks at Kate, shaking her head in disgust with the church girl. “Yeah, that’s right. You don’t believe I have time rewind powers, huh? Do you, Kate? Be honest.”

With a stern face and posture, she replies, “No, I don’t.”

“That’s even better.” The brunette gets up from the ground, back onto her feet. She brushes off some grasses stuck on her jeans. “I can rewind back about 15 minutes, so you will be in your room, playing your violin or hugging your damn Bible.”

Kate stares back with a gapped mouth, from the insults coming out the photographer’s mouth. “Max, that’s not nice.”

Max presses her lips together, forming a wicked smile, “I could really use some venting right now. How about I tell about how I feel about you, and everybody else? And about what I’m going to do with myself.” 

“Max...don’t.” Kate takes a step back, intimidated by the brunette’s menacing aura.

“Kate, your mother and aunt is a total bitch. And you’re a fucking, bible thumping moron to listen to them.”

Kate’s widens her eyes, her brows burrowed, and her nose twitching slightly. Last time, Kate had this look was when she was about to jump off the dormitory rooftop in the other timeline, when she was angry at herself and everyone else. “Don’t say that, I’m serious Max.”

“What are you going to do, about it?”

There’s a moment of pause where Kate looks up blankly, trying to contain the tears from dripping off the corner of her eyes. “It is very hurtful, what you’re saying.” Kate looks away trying to avoid eye contact.

As much anger is fueling inside her veins, Max can’t go far with a sweet person like Kate. Images of Kate in the other timeline flashes in the brunette’s mind. Of her crying, when she was all alone and helpless, and of her jumping off the roof, with everyone including Max watching from below. While it is different timeline, Kate did go through similarly what Max is feeling right now. As Max is ready to give the middle finger to the world, she can’t do it front of Kate. The flames inside her body slowly get extinguished, the more she thinks about Kate.

Max closes her eyes, giving a long inhale, and slowly exhale out of her body. Kate’s soft sniffing can be heard. “My best friend and my parents...are dead. And someone that I thought was my friend, just tossed me aside.”

Kate’s lips is pressed down, as her anger is slowly being replaced with sadness, as well. “I’m deeply sorry, Max.”

Max puts her hands in her pockets, and leans back to look up at the clear starry night. A long story bubbles up from her belly, reaching almost to her tongue. She’s never been one to tell a story about her past, because she always afraid how people would react to her. She's not even sure if there an actual point in telling this story, but perhaps Max just wants someone to know her feelings and pain, for once. The reckless thoughts that has been tainting her mind, instilled enough confidence into her.

“Last year, I was asked by this senior named Carson to go to prom with him. Think of him like...Zachary, a popular guy in this school. He wasn’t exactly a jock, but he was in the more popular clique in the school.”

“He approached me to go to the prom when we were all alone. I got freakishly shy, and seriously almost passed out. I thought it was a joke, but he was dead serious about it. He said he always had a small crush on me, and never knew how to approach me, because I was so damn shy and didn’t want to be near anyone.”

Kate looks up with her cute, adorable, puppy eyes, giving a soft smile.

“I don’t know what I was thinking, but I opened up to him. Maybe cause I was already hating myself for many other things, that I felt the need to just give everything in life, a fucking chance. So I agreed to go to prom with him. He said he will buy my ticket and my portion for the limo. The ticket were expensive, since it was at a nice venue. I felt so overwhelmed with so many things happening, but the same time so _wanted_ that someone is willing to do that for me.”

“I went shopping with Mom..." Max takes a deep breath, trying hard to focus with the story. "...For my dress, make-up and the boutonniere I was going to give to Carson. She was so excited for me, and kept teasing me that it may lead to a relationship. She said I would be like Rachael Cook from ‘She’s All That’, where the total geek became the star of prom. She was giving me tips, because she knew I’ve never been in a relationship before. Also being protective of me, like tell him ‘No’, if he tries to get into my pants. It was humiliating, but at same time, can’t help but be a bit flattered, because finally someone wanted to be with me.”

“That night, I had on my dress waiting to be picked up around 5 PM. We were going to go dinner, first. I got so nervous, especially when my parents had their camera and phone, ready to record when he comes through the door. I swear that alone, I was going to pass out. I kept waiting...and waiting for thirty minutes.”

Kate’s eyes drifts to the side, no longer able to focus on Max.

“And I kept waiting. My mother kept trying to cheer me up, but deep down inside, I knew the honest truth was slowly kicking in. An hour has passed, it was 6 PM which was the dinner reservation for our group, and still the doorbell never rang. I called Carson many times, and he did not picked up.”

Max’s throat began to tighten, making it more difficult to talk.

“It was 8 PM. I couldn’t stop crying, and Mom and Dad felt so bad for me. And they were so furious with Carson, that they were going to drive to the Fremont Foundry, where the prom was. I told them to drop it, but I couldn’t convinced them. I decided to go along with them, because at the time I was afraid what they would do to Carson.”

“When we got there, we just waited at the parking lot, until we saw Carson, and another girl stepped out of this limousine, along with his buddies. The girl is one of the most popular girl in the school, and she’s super gorgeous. I remember my face just became white, like ‘Of course, why would he go for someone as ugly as I am, when there were so many beautiful girls out there’.”

Kate shakes her head, mouthing 'No', and sobbing softly.

“I was in the back seat behind my father. He wrapped his arm around me, and I buried my head into him. Mom stepped out the car to talk to Carson. I was too shocked to even try and stop her, that I just wanted to go home. My mom went up to him, and totally flipped out on him. I thought she was just going to scold him for it and be done with it. Instead, she dragged Carson all the way to our car. Mom opens my back seat door, and demands him to apologize to me. I could not lift my head up, I was so ashamed of myself and too damn humiliated. My mouth was too paralyzed to tell her to get him away. Then the walls of the car felt like they were closing in, and my lungs felt like all the air were being squeezed out of it. Then, I realized I had almost no control of my body, as I literally fell back onto the seat, grasping my arms to my chest, and my entire body began shaking out of control. For a few seconds, I couldn’t control my body, as I felt being pinned down into the car. I remember hearing Carson laugh at me, before Mom shoved him away, got into the car and closed the door.”

Kate presses both palm of her hands into her forehead, knocking down a loose lock of hair down.

“I began hyperventilating, and my parents panicked because they didn’t quite know what to do at that very moment. They opened the window, trying to sit me upright, and I could remember seeing students passing by. I needed the air, and I barely able to hiss out ‘Get me out of here’, because I was too embarrassed to seen by my own classmates. Dad drove the car out of the venue and parked in a nearby gas station. Mom was by my side, trying to control my breathing. After about ten minutes or so, I pretty much fell asleep on the ride back. I got mad at them, but not too bad, because they felt so bad.” Max lets out a chuckle, through her heavy breath. “Mom slept with me that night, because we stay up all night watching reruns of ‘The Simpsons’ together.”

“I remember not wanting to go to school afterwards. But Mom insists that I have to and be strong. When I saw Carson, he immediately began imitating a seizure movement, to mock me. He said, it was just a prank, that it wasn’t a big deal, because no guy would ever ask a socially awkward person like me out anyways.”

Kate’s face is still tucked underneath her delicate hands. “Max, I’m so sorry. You're a very beautiful girl. And that guy is a complete shit head.” It is odd to hear Kate swearing, as she usually cuts herself off first. She seems very invested, emotionally to the story. “I’m so angry, Max. I can’t believe…” Words were unable to form in her voice, as she didn’t know what else to say. She takes a step forward, wanting to extend a hug, but Max didn’t do anything to welcome it. “Please tell me something happened to that guy?”

Max, softly nodding her head. “Yes, he got suspended for his comments.”

“Yes!” a spark of delight blossoms in Kate’s face, she clenches her fist, shaking it, in a cute way. It may not be enough, but anything is better than nothing.

“Even his friends thought he went too far. And they said he deserved it.” Max, looks down, twisting her heels on the concrete, rubbing the small grains of sand against the sole of her shoes. “Knowing that, made me feel better.” Kate smiles softly, knowing it was painful experience but Max overcame it. “Yeah, I never been one to be accepted, like a normal person.”

“There is a little hope in this world, huh? Sometimes if you practically fully enveloped in darkness, you have to be patient for small glimmer of light that will come through. Max, there's always many people that accepts you for who you are, including me.” Kate holds both of her hands to her chest, like if she was praying. “It's better to focus on why people accept you for the way you are, than worry about why those other people don't accept you.” She looks up, putting a soft smile, that contrast with her puffy eyes. “We tend to focus on our _shortcomings_ and simply overlook the great traits we have.”

Her smile and words help eases some of the resentment that has been forming inside the brunette’s belly. Maybe the thought of someone like Kate, who is a victim of bullying and can still somehow smile the way she does, actually does bring hope into this life. “Kate...I know there’s a lot going on in my life, right now. But I want you to know, that I really like you, Kate.” The church girl’s eyes lightens up from her comment, as her smile grows bigger. “I really thought you could be one day possibly be my…” Max hesitates, as her throat tightens again. “...best friend.”

A soft laugh escapes Kate’s mouth, as she plays with the sleeves of her shirt. “Max...that can still happen.”

“No, it can’t. I’m not going to have you choose me over your family.”

The church girl’s posture stiffens, “Max, I can deal with my family.”

“Kate, you’re not a strong as you think. From the Vortex Club video, you took your own life from the bullying that the students, your mother and aunt did to you.”

“Max…”

“I know you won’t believe me, but I saw it. I was able to use my power to talk to you out of it, and saved your life. After that, you were at the hospital, I was so happy to see how you were so forgiving to everyone, including to the students and your family. Even with Victoria...It shows how big of heart you have. And I really like that about you.”

Kate presses her lips, looking to the side, with humble eyes. “It has gotten me in trouble, many times.”

“I know. People do care, and sometimes, they can care too late. This is a different timeline, and I’m afraid everything seems to be falling in place for that to happen, again.”

Kate shakes her head, gazing back at her. “Max, I still...cannot process that you have time rewind power.”

The brunette throws her arms out in frustration, “That’s why you can’t ever be by my side and help me on this.” Kate’s head dips in defeat, gripping onto her skirt, ashamed she cannot sympathize with Max. “I am all alone on this. Chloe and my parents died for everyone in this town. I’m the only one that knows it. No doctor or hospital bills will ever fix that.” Max flutters her eyes closed, as sadness slowly overtakes the features of her face. “Kate, you’re looking at someone who lost their best friend, and parents. The difference between that than a normal human being, is I was actually able to do something about it." She shakes her head, "...but I didn’t. And for the rest of my life, I’m going to carry this overwhelming guilt inside me. I don’t think I can...” This brings the attention of Kate, as a sense of recognition and shock fills her face. “If you know what, I mean...”

Kate replies in a stern voice, “Max, don’t…”

“The only thing that holds me back, is if I die, then there might be no one there to save you Kate, if you get pushed to the edge.”

Kate’s eyes flared, suddenly, shifting to the left and right. “Max, this is…” She looks all around the yard, seeing if there is anyone or someone that is hopefully listening in on this conversation, “I’m going have to tell someone about this. You need help, Max.”

“No, you won’t.” She replies calmly, despite the frantic state Kate is in.

“Max, this is crazy. If I’m the only one that I knew about you going to hurt yourself, and I didn’t do anything to help it...”

“That is why I’m going to rewind this conversation.”

There is a short pause, as her eyes glisten with tears. “What?!”

The sadness in Max’s face suspends for a short moment, as she explains in a smug tone. “Like I said before, I’m going to rewind back to 15 minutes ago, when you were knocking on my door. I’m not going to give you any hint that I have time rewind power. I’m going to lie and say my aunt is going to help with the funeral, so you don’t need to help me at all. And I’ll pretend everything's fucking okay.”

“You can’t-”

“When you get that text from your mother. I won’t get involved at all with it, and just agree to let you go back to your room. And also say I’ll have to sleep in, and can’t help you out with the abstinence stand. And I know you’ll be more than happy to agree to this.”

“Max, you can’t do this.”

“Why? I thought you didn’t believe anything I said.”

“You…” Kate tugs on the side of her hair, causing a few more locks of hair to fall out of her hair bun. “...You can’t do this.”

“Naturally you will avoid me, because you’re afraid of what your family and other students think of us. And that’ll work out...when I go.”

“Max! Seriously, don’t do this.” She runs up to the brunette, gripping on both of her arms.

Max looks down at Kate’s fingers, gripping onto her skin. She can feel her trembling, and that she is finally believing. “I’m not...sure what I’m going to do Kate. I’ll try to fight on, but...it not looking good for me. I don’t feel I have a future, anymore.”

“Please, Max.”

She dips her head, letting out a sigh. “I’m not strong enough, Kate. If anything do happen to me and I decide to leave this world, no one else should suffer because of it.” Max looks back at her, with tears finally shimmering in her eyes. “Especially you.” Her voice gets even softer, "I really care about you."

Kate leans back, her body sinking back, from the touching words, but still holding onto her grip. “Max, I’m so conflicted with my family and my church, and everything at school. You always been there for me, and I really...like you, too.” She brings her face closer to Max, trying speak through her sobbing, “Deep down inside, even though I said I was going to avoid you, I don’t think I can.” Max can feel the warm breath onto her face. Kate’s sniffs her nose to clear it, and her voice becomes more stern, “Max, if you rewind...You are guaranteeing the end of your life. If you feel you can’t do it with me, then what makes you think you can do it all by yourself?”

“At least you won’t go down with me.” Max shakes her head, realizing something. “Shit...my time rewind could cause another tornado. And I think the fifteen minutes is coming up soon...I need to do this, soon.” Uncertainty fills into the brunette’s eyes.

“What?”

“My rewind caused a tornado, I think. It’s either that or saving Chloe was what caused the tornado.” Max’s face became pale, slowly suffocating as she running out of options to choose.

“Then you can’t rewind.”

“I can try...if something do happen later, I did take a picture back in my room, that I can jump back into. I just have to do something to prevent us from having this conversation to begin with, then.”

“What? How you going to do that?”

“By doing something to prevent me from opening the door.” Max’s eyes races back in forth, thinking what she has in her room. “My room is on the second floor, or...maybe the prescription pills...”

“Max!” Kate glides her hands up, wrapping behind Max’s head. No longer hesitating anymore, she dips her warm lips, planting onto Max’s cheeks. Kate didn’t want the poor brunette to think no one cared or loved her, especially what could be her final moments. She pulls back, looking deep into the Max's eyes, shocked with the affection. Kate’s throat is thick, causing her to almost squeak, “I don’t care anymore. Why should I care what other people think? No one knows me better than I do. People can be selfish, and they only care about what they feel or what they think.” She gives another quick peck at Max’s cheeks, then tilting her face, pressing her warm cheeks. “It’ll hurt now. And you’ll feel like you have no one. But you’ll become strong.” 

Without looking, Kate reaches for Max’s cold hand, and pull it up, pressing it, into her own cheeks. “Max, you will always have someone.” She pulls back her face gently again, “You have me,” she kisses Max’s hand. “You have Joyce, and even scary David.” She lets out a laughs, through her teary eyes. “You will one day, and look at this. You gave the ultimate sacrifice and saved this town of ungrateful idiots. And you overcome against all adversaries.” She smiles, showing her teeth, with tears dripping down her face.

Max closes her eyes, letting tears that were hanging onto her eyes, to glide freely down her face. Kate’s touching words help revitalizes some life in her formerly ice, cold body. She couldn’t help but let out a smile. Max gives a kiss to the blond girl's forehead, and pulls her head in, resting it on her chest. “Thanks Kate. Thank you, so much. You always know what to say. I feel much more alive, with your kind words. I’ll be strong, though. And, I need to protect you.” She gives a kiss, at the messy hair bun of the pure girl. “Goodbye, Kate.”

Kate sobs softly into Max’s chest, squeezing her tighter.

Max holds out her right hand, and everything rewinds back.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory : Room 219

#### October 13th, 2013 9:24 PM

Max finds herself back in her dimly lit room, completely disoriented, and holding the prom picture in her hand. The picture flickers briefly, as if she is about to enter into the photo. Max freaks out, throwing the picture away from her, and then crashing her head into the side of wooden bed frame.

“SHIT!!!” hissing sharply through her teeth. She slides her bumped head off from the frame, so the rest of her body wiggles itself down to be completely flat onto the ground. Her body squirms a little, as she grab at the pulsating pain coming from the back of her head.

_What happened? Did I use my rewind power? It didn’t feel like I did, because I’m back in my room. I always stayed in place when I rewind...except when I first saw Chloe die in the bathroom. That time, I did go back to the classroom._

She diverts her attention away from the throbbing pain in the back of her head, and gets up. She, frantically heads out the door to look in the poorly lit hallway, turning her head, to the drawing slate to the side. There were two stick figures, one with a yellow hair bun, going _down_ on the other one, with short hair. _Ugh, what the hell is wrong with you people?_ Max quickly wipes the entire slate clean with her index finger, making sure there’s no trace of it left. _So, this is before Kate got to my door._

Her index finger still pressing against the slate, she thinks about what she has to do from now on. The emptiness is slowly settling inside her body. _I have to do this all alone. I’ll have to be strong and not involve Kate._

A door creaks open behind her, followed with a familiar, sweet voice, “Oh hey Max.” She takes a step forward into the hallway, “Were you uh-...planning to draw something?”

Max turns around, tucking her hands into her back pocket nervously. “Was thinking about it, but I decided against it. What are you doing out here?” _I have to play it cool, and not show any weakness until she leaves._

Kate eyes at the brunette’s uneasy look, and her hands tucked behind her. She takes another step forward, letting the door close behind her. “It was weird, I had my candle lit, when I was playing violin. Then all of a sudden, it went out.” She runs her hand, delicately through her hair bun, then down to her neck. “Odd, must be a draft or something...So I decided to check up on you.”

Max looks at Kate’s lips, slightly blushing at her cheeks. _She kissed me on the cheek, earlier. I admit, it was very touching to see her so emotional. Even though that never happened._ She squeezes the back of her head, partially to sooth the pain, as well as the shyness is baking into her face.

Noticing Max’s awkward movements, “Hey, did you hurt your head?”

“Yeah...I bumped my head.”

“Oh no…” Kate pouts her lips, in an adorable fashion.

“I’ll be fine. Do you want to come in?” Max opens her door by leaning her body into it, and signaling for the blond girl to come in.

“Sure.” She walks past Max, letting her close the door behind them. “Let me massage your head.” She twiddles her fingers in the air, in cute, playful way.

Instead of turning around, Max, just dips her face in, forcing Kate to reach her hands around the brunette’s head to rub the sore spot.

Kate rubs with moderate amount of pressure, enough to be effective, as Max’s shy, curious eyes has trouble maintaining eye contact at this close distance. Her nervousness continues to seep in, to clog her mind, and making her face blush. Kate asks, “So uh, sorry to bring this up…Did you talk to your family? About the...” She groans in frustration, as her tongue becomes tied on what to say.

Max nods her head softly. “Yeah, uh.” _I have to lie about this, I can’t let Kate be at all worried about me._ “My aunt said she’ll help out with some stuff.”

Kate nods her head, pressing her lips together, for a very subtle smile. “That’s good. You can always ask me, for help.” She stops rubbing, and runs her fingers down the brunette’s hair, down to her neck. “Feeling better?”

Max lets out a smile, “Thanks, Kate.” The blond also returns the favor, with a lovely smile which causes Max to blush, letting her tongue tied, on what is next on her script. “Uh-” She stammers some incomplete words for a bit, “K-kate-... Umm-..Tt-he-...”

Kate is patient with the tragic struck tongue-tied brunette, “It’s okay, take your time.” She pulls her hands away from her face. “Take a deep breath,” she gestures with her hands.

Max follows her advice, taking a deep breath, and then a long, relaxing exhale. “Okay. Uh...I’m feeling a little tired.” Max pauses, as that came out very awkward in that conversation sequence. She shakes her head in frustration. “I mean...I know I asked you to sleep over. But I think I’m good for the night.”

Kate’s eyes widen, softly nodding in acknowledgement. “Really? You sure?”

“Yeah, sorry. Also, I know I promised you, but is it okay, if I skip out on your abstinence stand tomorrow morning? I want to sleep in, and talk to my aunt about everything.”

Kate has a slightly confused look, blinking her eyes, slowly. “Of course. Yeah, sure.” Her phone beeps, diverting her attention to her bag. She opens it, and takes out her phone.

Max spins around to avoid eye contact with Kate’s face, and takes a few steps away. _Almost there. So this is it...I have to do this all alone, from now on._ She clenches her fist, and flutters her eyes closed. 

“Max?” Kate puts up her hand covering her mouth. “Yeah, I have to go, too. Sleep well, okay?”

Max turns around, examining Kate’s face. You can tell she is trying to hide that she is upset, so the text from her mother did come, as expected. Max immediately replies, “I will.” _This could probably be the last time, I’ll get to talk to her for a while._ Max bites the inside of her lips, trying to force out a smile, “Goodbye, Kate.” It almost sounds like it echoed loudly, as she said the exact same words before the rewind.

Kate looking a little disappointed, nods her head, too. “Good night, Max.” She turns around, walking to the door. She suddenly stops in her track, staring at the brown door, like something is bubbling up for her to say. “Max, do you have any tissues?” She tips her nose up towards the ceiling. “My nose is bleeding.” She doesn’t turn around, to hide the bloody sight from Max.

“Uh, yeah sure, let me get some.” Max dashes towards a box of tissues on her desk to grab a few sheets. She races back, reaching around Kate’s body to hand it, honoring her privacy.

“Thanks, Max.” She reaches for the tissues quickly, and stuffs it into her nose. There is some muffled, sniffing sounds, as she contains the bleeding. “Is it okay, if I turn around?”

Max shrugs her shoulder, never realizing a nose bleed could be such a big deal, “Sure, Kate.” _I get nosebleeds all the time._

Kate turns around slowly, curiously eyeing on the brunette. Her eyebrows is furrowed, like she is thinking hard about something. “Max, did I see you earlier? I mean just right before this?”

 _What the hell? No, that’s impossible. She must be talking about something else._ Max tries to curb her abrupt shock, with a shaky, straight face. “Uh, I don’t think so?”

Kate’s eyes glares at her, almost looks like her hazel colored iris is dilating, “You used your time power, didn’t you?” Max takes a step back, with her eyes widening. Kate observes all Max’s subtle expressions, and scolds her, “You did! You used it, when I told you not to!”

The brunette takes a step back, almost speechless and in denial. “Kate?” She, barely sputters out of her breath.

The frustration is fuming out of the blond, as she grips the back of her head, aching with a pounding migraine, causing her eyes to narrow. “You’re playing stupid! This is why I have such a headache. You…” She squints her eyes closed, pointing at Max, “We were outside of the dorm. You were telling me everything. What happened at prom. Everything!” Her eyes open sharply, glowering at Max. “You were going to do it, weren’t you?”

Max’s legs is feeling weak, as she stumbles backwards a step. “How is this possible? This is not supposed to happen.”

Kate takes a step forward, with her nose tipped up in the air. “Maybe your power backfired.”

Max shakes her head. “No, no no. Kate, I have to change this back. I said too many things.” She raises her right hand.

Kate rushes at her, backing into the brunette, and trapping her raised right hand. Kate, pins it securely between her rib cage, and her elbow, underneath her own armpit. “Max! You stop this right now.” She squeezes her elbow closer to her body, causing Max to yelp in pain, weakening her right hand. Kate snorts out puffs of angry air, like a furious bull. “Stop it!”

Max’s throat begins feeling tense, as she shouts through it. “No, I can’t. Kate, I also said terrible things to you. I need to save you by going back.”

Kate’s back herself, until they both stumble back onto the couch, with her sitting on Max’s lap. “No, Max, stop running away.” She gently lowers the pressure of her elbow, so the brunette’s arm isn’t in pain. There is a short silence, as Kate’s heavy breathing can be heard. It seems like as if someone has awakened the sleeping demon inside the holy girl, inciting some rage within her. Or maybe it is more of sudden realization and guilt that has consumed her. 

She holds her breath, trying to calm herself down. Kate whispers softly, “So you really did save me, from killing myself, in the other timeline?”

The brunette didn’t reply right away, letting out a sigh. Max never thought Kate would ever believe her story. And now that she does believe it, Max regrets telling the story. She mutters out softly, barely louder than a whisper. “Yeah...” 

“I must have really lost sight of God, and everything in life, to do that.” Kate dips her head down, thinking for a moment. She turns her head, around, only showing the side of her face to Max. “You’re an amazing person, Max. You have no idea, how thankful I am. But you need to think of yourself, too.”

Max lowers her head, resting her head onto Kate's back, finally feeling overwhelmed with exhaustion. “Kate, I…”

Kate shifts her bottom around on Max’s lap, so she can turn a little more, to get a better view of Max, but still pinning her arm. “It’s insane. You can control who lives and who get to die-” Kate covers her mouth with her other hand, realizing what she is saying is pointing out the overwhelming burden that is on Max’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m just a human, but yet I’m almost like a God.”

“I kissed you, huh?” Kate gets up, releasing her arm. “Oh...damn.” She swears again, making a few circles around the room. She rips off her hair ties, dropping her hair bun completely, so her long, opened, flowing hair falls down to her waist. “Speaking of losing sight-”

Max looks on, a little amazed with seeing Kate’s hair down for the first time, realizing how beautiful she looked. “I thought it was sweet, Kate. It didn’t mean anything else.” _Shit, she going to beat herself up with the kisses, now._

“Oh no, I need to…” The conservative church girl continues making tiny circles around the center of the room, pressing both of her hands into her chest.

“Kate, I pushed you in the moment, and you just felt sorry for me. Doesn’t mean anything.”

“Uh...” A soft groan escapes her mouth, and she presses her sleeves into her cheeks, stopping in her track.

Max lets out a sigh, “Kate…it’s fine.” Kate’s eyes peers down at Max, through her sleeves in an adorable fashion. “You’re just a loving, affectionate person. That’s it. Don’t beat yourself over it.”

Kate brings her hands down, to below her belly, interlocked in a polite manner. “You’re right, Max.”

“It’s sweet, Kate.” Max lets out a smile, “Be strong.”

Kate nods her head, “Only if you be strong, too.”

Max’s eyes narrow, “I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”

Kate kneels down, pressing her hands onto her knees, so she is closer to Max’s level. “I will help you with the funeral, as I know your aunt isn’t being helpful at all.” Max looks down, with her lips pressed thin, again being caught lying. “Tomorrow is a new day, we will tackle any issues, together, okay?”

Max’s face shoots back up. “But Kate, we have to keep away from each other. The other people and your mother...”

Kate shakes her head, almost impervious to the threat. “You said my mother and aunt overreacted to me, right? And the bullies is what caused me to end my life, right?” Max nods her head slowly. “Then, I have to be stronger.”

“Kate, please don’t hate your family for this. Honestly, they felt very bad after it. They didn’t know how bad it was. So did the other people at school.”

“I know Max. I will never hate my family. I just have to deal with them, differently. And seek courage through other means.” 

Max nods her head. “That’s right, Kate.” _Maybe Kate can seek more courage from God? But even she seems a little torn...I'm not sure_

Kate smiles. “Let’s pinky swear on this. That we will do our best at it. If one of us slips, we will pick each other back up.”

Max looks at the pinky, and then Kate’s smile, who always fills with hope. Max extends her pinky to interlock it.

Kate’s smile grows even bigger. “Tell me about your powers, okay? Let me change into my pajamas. And we can have some chamomile tea.”

Max nods her head. “Sounds good.” Something lingers at the brunette’s throat, as there some slight queasiness in her stomach. “Kate…?”

The blond dips her head, in a cute fashion way. “You mean bible thumping moron?” She lets out a giggle, trying to emphasize to the poor brunette she is only teasing. But Max’s face becomes pale, causing some of her strength to escape her body. Kate digs in catching her, pulling in close for a hug, so their cheeks are pressing into each other.

Max squirms a little bit, just because earlier Kate was freaking out about the kisses and being intimate. But the brunette feels weak with her earlier hurtful comment, and couldn’t really push off. “I’m so sorry.”

Kate presses her cheeks more, giving some of her warmth back into the pale hipster. “I know you didn’t _really_ mean it. I’m just teasing you, Max. I’m absolutely blessed to have you as my guardian angel, Max. You saved my life.”

“But that’s in a different timeline, Kate.”

There is a short silence, as Kate adjusts her hands, wrapping it firmly around Max’s back. “Max, did Chloe offer herself to save the town?”

Max ponders for a bit, thinking about that stormy night. “Yes, she did.”

“If she’s is a hero in your heart, then so are you. You have to give yourself more credit. Chloe saved us. You saved us.”

There is truth in Kate’s words as sometimes Max loses sight of herself and never even see what she has accomplished. Finally, there is someone that knows what Max has been through, or at least a taste of it. Before only Chloe knew what she has been through with the time travel, but finally, this feeling is back. Maybe she just feels invincible at the moment, with some inspiring confidence. Surely, this can’t last long once the weight of everything eventually will kicks in. This could be a short lived feeling of hope, as there will be new challenges in the future. But for once, Max wants to care about herself, at least for the rest of the night. Let her be happy and enjoy the ride, while it lasts. Whenever it ends, then that’s when it will end.

Max squeezes the blond girl harder, rubbing her face into her cheeks. Her heart feels like it is pounding, that Kate has to be able to feel it in her chest. She never once get to show Chloe how she felt about her, because there weren’t any time for it. Very ironic, for someone that can control time. Looking back, maybe there were a few moments that Max could have expressed her appreciation to Chloe. But in hindsight, everything is 20/20 vision.

Max nuzzles her nose into Kate’s long hair. Kate didn’t flinch back, instead she remains quiet, as well, just her warm breathing expanding against the brunette’s slightly smaller body. Sometimes in life you can never be certain of anything. Cannot always be living and thinking about the future, and losing sight of what’s around you right now. For now, there is Kate, who is going to be a guardian for Max.

She releases Kate, as they both separate a little bit. The sensation of her pounding heart finally kicks in, causing Max to grasp at her chest, a little embarrassed. Kate looks back with an inviting smile. Through her heavy breathing, realizing she hasn’t even said anything, she whispers out, “Thanks Kate.”

Kate’s chest is heaving a little bit, as she is a little out of breath. She quietly whispers back. “No problem.” She takes a few steps, walking backward towards the door, maintaining eye contact. “I’ll get my stuff, and I’m going to change. I’ll be right back.” In a cute fashion, she steps out the door.

Max looks out towards the door, that the church girl has left. She walks to the mirror, to look at herself, realizing her face is red and warm. She lets out an exhale, calming her nerves. Looking down on the floor, she sees the photo of the picture that she took earlier. She picks it up in her hands, as it flickers slowly into focus. 

_I can maybe time jump to this picture, maybe somehow that’ll unwind Kate’s memories. Or maybe an earlier one? I may have to use it in the future. I’ll just have to keep that in mind._

* * *

Kate comes back her electric tea pot, two tea cups, and a canister of chamomile tea. The two of them talk over with warm, relaxing tea. The young brunette explains her adventures she has in the last week with Chloe, as Kate listens politely. Max, also mentions about her recent adventures with Rachel Amber, another time traveler.

"So that's just about how much I know about Rachel...she wants to repair her relationship with the _me_ , in her timeline." Max takes a sip of her tea. "She's been nice to me, I think I can trust her."

Kate's eyebrow lowers immediately, as she stares into her tea cup. "So Rachel, has at least...some limited influence on this timeline. Her power seems far more stronger than yours. And she is in distress with your counterpart." She blows at her cup, releasing some extra steam from it. "Basically two time travelers, with one that is much stronger than the other one."

Max looks back at the blond girl with curious eyes, wondering what Kate is getting at. "Yeah, that the gist of it."

She pouts her lips, eyes drifting to the sides. "I see..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Whew, this was a rough chapter to write. Some things to talk about it, well Max's time rewind in the game is limited by the game engine (probably just few minutes), so for the sake of the story I had to extend it. For Kate, I do always see her as a pure, sweet, highly conservative person in the game. After the rewind halfway in the chapter, as the memories comes back rushing to her, she gets angry, just because of the sudden influx of knowledge, especially almost all of it "contradicts" her existing memories and beliefs. In addition, that Max actually was going to 'rewrite the past' to lead her astray from Kate's protection.
> 
> And of course the obvious self destructive nature of the chapter. When you "had it" with people, you just flips out and pour out everything. Max, knowing she can rewind, said just about every hateful things on her tongue. And it is up to people on the 'receiving end' to react accordingly. Kate, in this case, did not believe Max at first. But more and more, she starts to see Max is telling the truth and she begins caring and not wanting to let go of Max. My goal was to make this as natural, for Kate is the guardian angel to Max. In episode 2, the roles were reversed.
> 
> Overall, how I envisioned this chapter to come out, is how I expected from the beginning for the most part. One key differences, I thought about NO REWIND at all for this sequence, so Max basically is convinced not to rewind by Kate, and they both head back together. Instead, I chose to have a "rewind", so Max is questioning her ability, and also enabling Kate to believe the supernatural aspect that is going on with Max and Rachel.
> 
> In all, I hope you guy enjoyed the chapter and the story so far. I'm going to return to Rachel's soon, but thinking hard about this "sequence" I can toss before it. :) Leave any comments, if you wish. :)


	11. Reign Over Me

 

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory : Room 219

#### October 14th, 2013 1:53 AM

Max blinks owlishly from her bed, looking across the room to the sleeping church girl, curled up on the small couch. You can hear Kate, puffing soft breaths, showing signs of her deep sleep. The room is dark, but partially illuminated with hints of lights, slipping through the blinds of the windows, smearing onto the white ceiling above. It has been about a few hours of sleep after their long talk together. Many thoughts begin brewing into the mind of the young hipster, slowly stirring her more awake.

_Kate didn’t want to say it, but I can sense she is a little wary of Rachel. I don't blame her. For someone to have that great amount of power, and you're uncertain of their motive, can be a little unsettling. I feel all of this, must be breaking Kate's heart, in a spiritual sense. Something that I wonder though, how did Kate’s memories remains? I don’t think I used my power to rewind. Did Rachel somehow...do it?_

Max rolls out of her bed, as silently as she can, to not squeak the bed and disturb the peaceful resting blonde girl across the room. She shuffles her feet almost blindly to feel for the flip flops right beside her bed. She puts them on, and heads straight towards her door. The brunette gives one last look over her shoulder at Kate, turning the knob until the distinct _click_. Then, she opens it slowly, carefully stepping out the room.

The hallway is dark, as she proceeds in it. The only sound in the otherwise, cold silence, is the flip flop snapping back against her sole, and against the muffled carpet. Max is in her pajamas, and didn’t bother to bring her phone. One of the door on the left is opened, emitting some warm, inviting light into the hallway. She alters her course, sneaking up to opening.

It is Dana’s room. There is a small desk lamp that is turned on, with her sitting at her desk, browsing on her laptop. Sensing the footsteps from the 'Not-So-Ninja', she turns around, pressing her elbow against the back of her chair. “Hey Max.” Dana quietly responds seeing the photographer, trying not to wake up anyone else on this floor.

Max nosily walks into the room without permission, and finds a open spot on her couch, next to Dana’s neatly folded laundry. “Hey Dana, what are you doing up?”

“Same goes with you,” says the beautiful cheerleader, who is in her gray tank top, and white shorts. She shifts the chair to face Max and asks, “Can’t go to sleep?”

“Yeah,” Max murmurs quietly, glancing around nervously.

Dana stares with intention in her eyes, with some words boiling up to her tongue, wanting to ask if it is about Chloe. Instead, she just squashes that idea and mutters out a simple, “I see...”

No one is made aware about the deaths of Max's parents, earlier today. Not yet, at least.

Max looks on, a little preoccupied, “I promised Kate to help with her abstinence stand. I feel like I over promised.” _I have to deal with my parents’ stuff. And Kate still has her own things to deal with, with Nathan and Mr. Jefferson. But I think Kate is going to stick on me, after the...talk we just had._

“Abstinence stand?” The cheerleader lets out a cute giggle. “She’s so adorable, I love Kate. But, you wanted to skip out of it?”

Max slowly nods her head. “A little bit, but she’s been so helpful. And it may take my mind off things.”

“I’m sure she’ll let you skip it. She’s Kate, the sweetest person in the school.” She gives a wink to the brunette, and a little elbow nudging motion. Max's heartbeat quickens for a second from the gesture. “I’ll swing by over the stand. What time will it be set up?”

Max chuckles, grasping her arm, nervously. “Ten in the morning. Now that photography class is cancelled. Me and Kate have a free time slot for the time being.”

“Yeah...that asshole.”

“I know.”

“Max, speaking of assholes, if you see Zachary, stay away from him.”

“Why?" Max, then remembers the story that Kate told her. "Umm...besides that he is a bully.”

“Well that, and Juliet broke up with him just earlier today. She got so pissed after what he did to you. So...just in case. Text me, if he does anything with you.”

 _I normally don’t like people doing stuff like that for me, but he totally deserves it._ “Go Juliet. He is a total dick. Thanks Dana.”

“Yeah he is. And no problem, Max.”

“I’m going to go for a walk, Dana. Even though it way past curfew.”

“Do you want me to walk with you?” Dana shuffles her legs around, getting ready to stand up from her chair.

“I’m good Dana. Just need to clear my mind.”

“Alright.” Dana nods her head, “Have a good walk, Max.”

“Good night, Dana.”

Max gets up from the couch, being careful to not knock over the stack of laundry, and walks out of the room to continue on down the dark hallway. She pushes through the double door, and head straight down the stairway. The loud clanking of the metal surface from the flip flop, surely would wake the nearby sleepyheads up.

Then, there’s a familiar voice behind her. “Ahoy, huge nerd ahead.”

Max stops in her track, looking back up. There’s Max right there, or rather another her. Just sitting on the hand railing of the center part of the stairs. It must be the Nightmare Max, or something, like she saw back during the storm. “What are you doing here? Is this a dream?”

The other Max has her legs dangling off the railing, with her left shoulder pointed towards Max. She glances with a sheepish stare. “You see a damn deer spirit prancing around in the junkyard, and your recently dead mother, six years ago on the highway. And you complain about seeing me?”

Max steps back up the stairs, so she is back on even level. “You were a damn jerk to me. Talking about Chloe…”

“And you end up sacrificing her anyways. And I applaud you for that. You are as easily manipulative, as always.”

“Shut up, I had no choice.”

The other Max shrugs her shoulder. “Choice?...Yeah, that's true. Or at least an illusion of a choice. What about that ghost you been chit chatting with...Rachel?”

Max’s eyebrow raises, “She isn't a ghost. And what do you know about Rachel?”

“Well, both you and me knows how she going to end up right?” Her smile seems almost sinister. “Beaten up. Sexually abused. Murdered by an overdose. Without a single person to care about her.” She lets out snicker under her breath.

“Shut up…”

The other Max tips her nose up, “You want to save her?”

“She is not going to end up like that.”

“Like always, that is some wishful thinking from you. Always caring too late, like you did with Chloe, Kate, and now Rachel. Everyone is just trying to end their own life around you. You do have some serious social disorder.” Max’s eyebrow lowers, not appreciating the abusive bullying, and the words coming out from the other version of hers’ mouth. “I would like to chit chat with you some more, but there is something going on right now.”

Max’s face fills with curiosity, with the change in subject. “What’s going on?”

“There’s two moons out there.”

“Two moons in the sky? How?”

The other Max, presses her lips, again shrugging her shoulder. “I’m a total smart ass, but I’m not even sure. It is like if the two timelines of this one and Rachel you been talking to, gets very close. Both of your time travel powers becomes very strong, too.” She looks over at Max, finally with a serious look. “And you guys can actually hop into each other timeline.”

Max has a blank expression on her face. “No way…”

“Well, Rachel did rewind a non-time traveler’s memory during this two moon business. Totally doubt she knew exactly what she was doing but that is something…” The other Max scratches her chin, “It is almost like she knew what was going to happen.”

Max’s mouth slightly opens, with her wide-eyes stare. “Rachel did that? I thought I did it?”

“Please Max, you’re such a pussy right now. You wouldn’t even rewind if the Coke machine swallowed your quarter.”

“Shut up.”

The other Max nods her head, “That is nifty though. So you don’t have to repeat your damn 'how I have time travel power' story all over again. First of her, Name. Mother of all Bad Puns. Breaker of all Fragile Items.” Her face became more serious. “Though that does mean Rachel saved you. So for now, you on her good side.” Her eyebrow lowers, giving a glare, “Before she gets murdered, why don’t you pretend to care about her, to be on her good side some more? Then maybe you can have your Chloe back.”

“I...I’m not asking her to save Chloe.”

“Not yet, at least. But it is going to happen. And uh...you probably don’t know this. But Rachel loves you...A lot. She loves to see you happy, even if it isn’t with her.”

Max shakes her head profusely, “She has me in that timeline of hers. She is in love with that Max.” She adds, later to clarify. “But I still care about her.”

The other Max scoffs, “Please...once you get your prized blue haired girl, you won’t even remember who Rachel is. Unless Chloe dies again, then you will come crawling back to Rachel for help again.”

“No, stop trying to make me feel bad.”

The other Max's fingers clenches tightly on the railing, “Do you ever think about the future you going to have?” Max steps back, pressing her back against the wall of the stairway. “It might not be the best path, but…not too bad, either.”

“I…” Max’s words is a little frozen, as the snobby Other-Max does have a point. _A future without Chloe and my parents? How is that a future 'not too bad'? I don’t think I’m even strong enough to deal with it, even with Kate. But who knows? Maybe I do get strong enough. Maybe saving Chloe and my parents could lead to someone else that is much worst._ Max says nothing but just looks on, blankly.

“Poor Rachel, she going to go on this path to make everyone she loves, happy. But at the end of the path, she will finds that everyone has already closed their doors on her. What a fool.” The other Max shakes her in disappointment, pressing her lips thin. “But it’s alright.”

Max’s eyes drift downward. “I’m not going to do that…”

“Oh Max, you have powers of a God, but you’re selfish like any human beings. Rachel is out in the front yard of the dorm, so you better go there quick...”

Max’s eyes lighten up again, looking down the stairways. “Rachel...?” She hesitates for a second, grabbing her arm nervously. She gives the Other-Max one last look, then she hurries down the stairs.

The other Max, looks down over her shoulder with her lips pressed, with a stare of pity. She can hear the clanking of the flip flops rushing down the stairs, then followed by the sound of the stairway doors. She lets out a sigh, and flutters her eyes closed.

 

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory

#### October 14th, 2013 2:01 AM

Max walks out the double door, and down the short steps into the cold night. In addition of being in her pajamas and shorts, it is colder now, than it was few hours ago with her and Kate. Up in the sky, there were two moons, definitely looks like something out of some apocalypse or supernatural story. In the middle of the yard, there is a body, with a red haze glowing out of it. _It is Rachel!_ Max, hurries towards her, while looking up in the sky.

_There were two moons, on the night that Jefferson captured me. I wonder if that is some coincidence._

Max reaches to Rachel’s body, who is supine position, flat on her back. Getting close to her, there is a weird, unnerving aura around here, like some miasma next to her. Entering it, it seems like time is frozen in it. If what the Nightmare Max saying is true, it does seem like it would be area that connects the two timelines.

“Rachel!,” Max wraps her arm around her body. _She is real! I can actually feel her!_ She lifts her gently, propping her back and head. “Rachel?”

“Maxine?” Rachel stirs awake softly, rubbing her eyes. “What happened?”

“Yes, well...it’s Max-Never Maxine-Max. If you know, what I mean.”

Rachel still rubbing her eyes, takes a little while to digest the voice tone, and the much shorter hair of this brunette. “M-Max? Like...Dorky Little Max? How is that possible?”

There is excitement in the brunette’s tone. “I don’t know, Rachel. But I’m so happy that I can feel you.”

Rachel’s eyebrow lowers, as she looks down at her chest being arched into the air towards the brunette. “Uh...what exactly were you feeling?”

Max begins sputtering nonsense words, as the arm that was propping Rachel’s body up, becomes weak, making her lower the beautiful blonde's body, back gently into the ground. “No-no….I wasn’t feeling...anything.” Her eyes unable to maintain complete eye contact anymore.

Rachel presses her knuckles into her lips, giggling, “Oh my god, you’re so fucking cute.” Her body shoots upward, so she is sitting on her butt, looking at Max with enticing eyes. She licks her lips, “Can I squeeze something?”

Max’s eyes widen, she glances down at her own body, then back at the sultry blonde girl’s eyes, and squeaks out, “What...is...there...to squeeze?”

Rachel’s eyes widen, grinning at the shy brunette, “Too bad!” she hobbles her way towards Max, with her knees, and squeezes the brunette’s cheeks. Max pretends to resists, but can’t stop giggling at the silliness, reminding her of Chloe back at the car ride from Portland.

“Rachel…” The poor brunette tries to talk through the assaulting given from the blonde girl. “You saved me.”

Rachel stops her abusing, and her eyebrow raises up. “I did?”

Max gently pushes the blonde back, but still holding her. “Yeah I had sort of had a breakdown with everything, getting frustrated with everybody, including Kate. I was counting on my rewind, to take back everything I said. But instead, you did the rewind, except Kate remembers everything I said.”

Rachel’s mouth opens, slightly. “Oh...I’m so sorry…”

“No, in hindsight, I think it’s good what you did.”

“Kate...she is the church girl that was sitting next to you in the police station?”

“Yep, she’s sweet. We had a nice talk about everything, including my time powers…” Max thinks about Kate’s reservation about Rachel, and then ignores it to continue on. “Then she sleeping over in my room right now, for comfort.”

“For _comfort_ , eh?” Rachel does the ‘double quotes’ gestures with her fingers. “Max, you horn dog. You can’t stop staring at my rack, and some church girl, now.”

“No, Rachel...we’re just friends now.”

Rachel grins, showing her teeth. “She has a nice chest.” Max blushes, shaking her head from the teasing. “Do you think she’s cute?”

The brunette lets out a sigh, and gives a honest nod to her head. "...Well...yeah." Her eyes drift sideways, nervously, trying to avoid the huge grin from Rachel. She thinks about what to say next to help alleviate the embarrassment. "Rachel, I really hate to ask you for favors, because you been absolutely amazing. I'll repay you back…"

“Alright, I’m cashing in.” Rachel winks her eyes. “Repay me now…Give me a kiss, I dare you.”

The words strikes into Max's memory lane, causing her face to freeze, “Umm…”

Rachel quickly curbs the uneasiness, “I’m kidding, Max.” The blonde presses her lips thin, but does a soft, elbow jab at the brunette to change the subject. “What would you like?”

There is a short pauses, as Max tries to gather her words. “I would like to see Chloe, again. And...I want to test this two moon, thing.”

Rachel looks up into the sky, at the two moons, “What is this _two moons_ , thing?”

“I saw my...subconscious or another version of me. Nightmare Max, if you want to call it that. She mentions, our powers becomes very strong together. And...we can actually hop into each other’s timeline.”

“So, you want me to hop into your timeline?...Where I am dead?”

“I...was hoping you can rewind a good distance back. Where Rachel was alive.” It is a little awkward to say, but Max wanted it emphasized it is a different person. “Maybe you can find something out.”

Rachel scratches her chin, “That...might be interesting.” _Could be something bad too..._ “So uh...what do we do?”

“Let’s hold onto each other...” Max reaches for Rachel’s hand, interlocking the fingers.

Rachel looks at her hand, holding on to the brunette. _Am I really going to learn anything from this timeline? If I do, is it something I shouldn't know?_ “Sure…” Rachel holds out her right hand, as a red smoke erupts from that hand.

“Wowser…” Max looks at Rachel, totally amazed with her red aura. _Oh my god, she’s like some Super Saiyan. A female Super Saiyan!_ Looking past the impressive red aura, she sees Rachel, who all of sudden is decayed, of a dark brown grime color. Her skin is rotten completely, with only slight amount of flesh on her bones. Her face is almost a skull, with a thin heap of flesh that lingers on her bone. For being so frail-looking, her body is still holding up altogether as a whole. Despite the absence of any facial features like eyebrows, lips, or even eyes, you can sense the sorrow and pain just from her body language alone.

With the other hand, Max grasps at her chest at the horrid sight of this savior Rachel, becoming like this. _Rachel…This is the decaying deceased body of Rachel, right now._ Even though I've known that Rachel has been dead in this timeline for a long time. Just seeing it, puts a sheer amount of dread into Max.

 _“Well, both you and me knows how she going to end up right?”_ The nightmare Max’s voice echoes again. _“Beaten up. Sexually abused. Murdered by an overdose.”_

_There no way this Rachel will end up the same way...right?_

Rachel looks down, bewildered, at both of her frail skeleton hands. A sense of hopeless is bellowing with the girl.

“Rachel…” Max quietly mutters, not wanting to point out the obvious. “Let’s go...”

Rachel didn’t even reply with a word. She went on ahead, holding out her right hand, and rewinds back in time.

 

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Amber Residence - Rachel’s Room

#### December 14th, 2008 12:13 PM

_“...Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone. Just the one-two of us, who's counting on...”_

Rachel wakes up on a bed, with a blinding blue light that causes her eyes to squint instantly. She rubs her eyes, stirring from her sleep to the low volume of punk rock music playing in the background. Giving a moment, she slowly opens her eyes, seeing the blue curtains that does nothing to prevent the blinding afternoon sun from flooding the room with its lights. There is a small desk with almost nothing on it. Other than that, seems like a typical young teenager’s room.

She looks down, sticking her hands out, with fingers extended, and letting out a huge sigh of relief. _I have fucking fingers with skin on it. Damn, that was terrifying!_ She wraps her arms around her body, hugging it, and loving it. Just happy to see that her body is no longer rotten. “Yes...,” she hums under her breath, with fists clenching with relief and satisfaction.

Compared to her regular body, this is thinner. She runs her soft fingers, over her chest and then to her flat stomach. _Damn, I’m not pudgy at all. I have to be younger._ Her eyebrow lowers, as she ponders for a moment. _Nah, I think I’m just thinner in this timeline._ She nudges her head to the side, seeing the shorter hair barely reaching her shoulder, and a clinging sound on her left ear. _Hmm, is that my blue-jay earring?_

On the desk, is a phone resting flat on it. She reaches for it, letting out a grunt, then brings it back to the comfort of the bed. She looks at it, seeing the reflection of her face on the phone screen. _Wow I am younger!_ She tilts her head, seeing the blue jay earring on her left ear. _Odd, I wear it on this ear in this timeline. Also, looks a little too polished or fake. Like it has been preserved._

With her other hand, she lifts up the collar of her shirt, to looks at her chest. _Hmm, my boobies are smaller, but not bad. And I'm wearing a cotton bra with a cute design._ She fumbles her hands down to her waist, shuffling her thumb down to her jeans to lift them up for a peek. _And non-matching cotton panties. I'm digging this…_

Her phone vibrates in her hand, drawing her attention.

 **Todd:** I think you’re very cute. Want to hang out sometimes when you get back from winter break? (12:14PM)

Rachel’s eyebrows arch upward, amused at the text of this person she doesn’t even know. With a grin, she replies back.

 **Rachel:** Only very cute? No, thanks, asshole. (12:14PM)

She snickers, rubbing her cheeks in embarrassment of how snobby she is being, and she puts her phone back on the desk.

Her eyes scan around the room some more, as there were incense burning, with a ‘Paramore’ band poster taped up on the wall. _Typical..._

She grips on the side of the bed, and dips her head down to peer underneath the bed, and sees a chest. _Let see if I started young in this timeline..._ She opens the chest, and pulls out a small black book on the top. There is a journal, that says “Rachel Amber 4 Ever”. A surge of embarrassment fills Rachel’s face, causing her jaws to drop. _Wow...how pretentious am I, in this fucking timeline? I hate myself already._

She opens the journal. It seems there is only one entry in it.

_I'm still suffering some serious and massive PTSD. I'm also been getting visions with my old and new life. They both are melding into my mind almost interchangeably at times. So I decided to buy a blue jay earring, and wear it on my LEFT ear for this life going forward to tell the differences. Sure, I could choose not to wearing any blue jay earring, but I feel it is a nice reminder of where it came from. If I suffer from an anxiety attack in the future again, I can at least feel which ear it is on, to know if I'm dealing with my old or new life._

_Besides that, it is now time to move on from my old, hopeless life. I’m going to start a brand new life. A life where I'm growing up and enjoying it with my father and mother. I don’t think I’m going to change anything else. I may save Samuel, to make sure he doesn’t join the same Construction Crew my dad did. Then I have to see if I'm grown up enough to leave my past. I really hope I don’t wind up back to Arcadia Bay. I want to leave Maxine. Completely. But will I actually do that? Who knows._

_If the Rachel from the other timeline (RIGHT earring) is reading this. I’m just putting this here, because I know time travel can be pretty fucked up. Anyways, leave behind that timeline, by saving dad from moving to Arcadia Bay. If you are still stubborn or if saving Daddy was somehow the wrong choice, then you need to be strong and search for hope somewhere out there. Do yourself a favor and never truly love anyone. As a time traveler, you may feel like you have a grasp at something. But then you realize you don’t have any control at all._

Rachel stares blankly with the journal in her hand.

 _Old life?_ She brushes both her ears, knowing that she normally wears the earring on the right side. _So this version of me in Max's timeline, also have time travel powers. Is this timeline, the future for me? Does that mean after everything I did, I’m just going to end up…dead?_ Rachel closes her eyes, as well as the journal. She grips it tightly, almost wanting to make a crease on the book. Then her eyes shoots open, throwing the journal across the room. “Fuck you,” she mutters out of frustration.

 _But leave Maxine completely? Why? She’s...kind of my only hope. Without her...there is no hope._ She runs her fingers through her shorter hair, tugging on it.

She gets up from the bed, trying to take her mind off things by exploring. She walks to the desk with some admission paper works from Blackwell Academy. _So, I’m attending Blackwell Academy in Arcadia Bay? Looks like I didn’t grow up with my initial plan. So am I in Arcadia Bay, right now?_

Rachel turns around, approaching to the bedroom door. She can hear a television playing on the other side, confirming there is life in this house. Still cautious, she turns the knob, opening the door, as the TV sound gets loud. Sounds like there is a game going on. She peeks into the small dull looking hallway, at the direction of the sound. And there is Bradley, Rachel’s father sitting on the couch, looking back at her.

“Hey, honey, did I wake you up?” He picks up the remote control, turning down the volume. “Sorry about that...big game.”

Rachel looks on grasping her chest, who is paralyzed except with heart thumping loudly in it. _Dad?_ She shuffles her feet in a hurried fashion, still holding onto her chest, moving towards him.

“Honey, are you okay?” Her father glances at Rachel, gripping her chest.

“Yes!” Rachel replies in a excitement. “Yes…” she repeats in a calmer tone. “Dad!” she closes the gap and dashes to hug him.

“Woah, hey there. Nice to see you, too. You wanna see the Chargers choke against the Chiefs? Probably not what you imagine to start your winter break, huh?”

Rachel turns around facing the television, still hugging her father with one of her arm, “Daddy! No, I would love to watch…” The rest of the living room is very plain looking, even the television itself is considered small. But Rachel is delighted to be reunited with her father.

“What? Thought you hate watching football.”

“No, I’m totally down to watch it.” Rachel snugs her head onto her father’s shoulder. “Where’s Mom?”

“Uh, burning her experimental pizza.”

“Bradley!” her voice calls from the adjacent room.

He laughs, “Not bad for your first day back to Long Beach, huh?”

Rachel cuddles next to her father, trying to enjoy the short moment she has with him. But same time, the journal has her wondering about her fate and role in all of this.

 

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay Women’s Health Clinic

#### December 12th, 2008 12:13 PM

Max hunches forward almost tipping over, but she catches herself. Instead, falls backward into the chair to what looks like the lobby of a doctor’s office. _Shit, that was kind of terrifying!_ She leans her body up, scanning across the room. The place did not seem inviting at all for any health reasons, as the furniture are pretty stained from wear and tears from who knows what. There were no windows for warm, natural lights. Only cold, artificial lights, that paints a gloomy feel to the room.

The young brunette presses her hands on the arms of the chair, with a frightened look. She looks at her own hands, realizing she does seem smaller, almost around she was wearing the pirate outfit with Chloe on her birthday. She murmurs under her breath, “Rachel?” But there were no response back from the blonde girl.

_Hopefully she is in her physical body in this timeline, somewhere safe. Fucking shit...is she destined to die? Assuming there’s no consequences, do I have to make a decision quick, whether or not I want to change the past?_

She tips her head higher, trying to glance over the receptionist counter. _Where is this?_ Feeling something on her leg, she reaches into the pocket for her phone, but it is the wrong pocket. Instead, she pulls out two multi-colored bracelets, that alternates blue and pink in a ‘V’ patterns. Max, looks on in horror at the bracelets.

_Oh no, this is it. This is the last time I actually see Chloe. These are the friendship bracelets, I wanted to give to Chloe today, before I left. And it didn’t end well. She got so mad at me, and threw them back at me._

The brunette is waiting for a moment like this to see her best friend again, as a overwhelming amount of dread and guilt pours into her belly. Part of her feels like a coward, hoping Rachel will bail her out by rewinding or fast forwarding in time. And another part of her has a slight sense of determination, to have the courage to deal with Chloe.

Chloe walks out the door, sending a mixed warm feeling and an impending doom to the brunette’s stomach. _Chloe..._ She still has her long strawberry blonde hair at this time, just like the time when her and Max were making pancakes before William’s death. But instead of full of joys and happiness, there is none of it anymore inside her. She walks straight towards the receptionist, resting her arms nervously on the counter. She looks over shoulder, with her lips pressed thin at the brunette that is sitting all by herself.

Max gets up from the chair, approaching up to Chloe. She reaches her pocket to pulls out $80 dollars in cash and hands it to Chloe, without any hesitation. _I wanted to see her but I’m not sure what to say to her._

Chloe looks at the money, with still surprised eyes, then back at Max. Her throat squeaks out, “Thank you.” She closes her hand, taking the money and hands it off to the receptionist.

“What a great friend,” the receptionist smiles at Max, then she looks back at the blond girl, who is holding the tears in her eyes. The receptionist’s smile subsides, and she continues on with processing the transaction.

 

* * *

 

Max and Chloe walks out the clinic building, in the gloomy partly cloudy day. The tall trees overlooking the clinic building, blocks majority of the remaining warmth and color from the sun. Chloe walks a short distance ahead of Max, leading the way, without any words. They make their way to a nearby bench, sitting down on it.

Finally Chloe, breaks the silence with her bold voice. “I’m fucking glad they were able to give me the pill. I wouldn’t want to have a baby, to join my fucked up life.” She crosses her legs, looking over at her best friend. “Thanks Max…” She nods her head, “I owe you.”

_I know how this conversation carries out, at least somewhat of it. Chloe got very bitter and resentful to everyone, including me after William’s death. When I was younger, I did my best to sympathize with Chloe, but even I got irritated by her. Of course, I took stuff our friendship for granted. Little did I know, the next time I see Chloe is her getting fatally shot. You never know when it is the last time you see someone._

“I’m always here for you, Chloe.” Max nods her head, “So, will you tell me what happened last night?” Max tries her best to reenact the conversation the best she remembered.

Chloe leans forward, pressing her knuckles into her lips. “Todd…” Max closes her eyes instantly, knowing what is going to happen next. Chloe, sees this, and becomes all defensive. “I fucking knew, you were going to do that, Max.”

“No Chloe...I’m not mad at all.” Max says that calmly, staring blankly ahead and not at all frustrated. “Please continue.”

Chloe looks away, totally ashamed of herself. “We did it last night. We fucked…”

Max’s eyes drifts away as well, not showing her expression. “Go on…”

Chloe shakes her head, profusely. “I didn’t fucking like it at all. But I just let it go on. I asked him in the end if ‘loved me’. He said it is typical for a girl’s first time.” She runs her fingers up her hair, pulling and tugging on it. Her throat begins to get very thick, “Then, I heard some noise in the closet. And of course, his fucking sick friends were hiding in the closet, busted out laughing.”

Max closes her eyes, releasing some tears that were hanging at the corner of her eyes. _Forgot how fucked up those people are._

Chloe begins sobbing, unable to hold in the pain. She continues through it, “And Todd is laughing too. I got so angry but more so, humiliated. I basically ran out there naked, holding my clothes.”

Max squeaks out through her throat, “Shit, Chloe.”

“I just got desperate, Max. Ever since Dad died, I’ve....not been feeling well. With you leaving too, I feel all alone, right now.”

“Chloe…”

The sobbing stops as Chloe’s voice erupts. “I know Max. I’m a stupid moron. Sorry if I don’t have a father that is fucking alive, like you.”

 _No, I won’t blow up on her._ Max looks dearly into Chloe’s furious blue eyes. “No, it is fucking Todd and his friends that are the morons. I can’t even imagine how bad it is like to be in your shoes.” Max reaches out her hand, holding onto to Chloe’s. “William was like a second father to me. He was such an amazing person.”

Chloe looks down at Max’s hands, with the anger dissipating from her face and nodding her head. “Yes, he was.” She squeezes Max’s fingers. “I really need someone. And I’m losing...sight of myself. Please keep in touch with me when you’re in Seattle, okay?”

 _I’m such a liar._ Max bites her own tongue. “Of course, Chloe.” She reaches in her pocket for the bracelets. “Chloe, I know you don’t like me leaving for Seattle.”

“Yes, I don’t fucking like it at all.”

“I know you don’t. I don’t either. But I got you this.” Max pulls out both of the bracelets, holding them up in the air, dangling from her hand. Chloe looks at them with amazed eyes. “I know they seem corny and not cool at all. But it was the only thing I can find.”

Chloe looks at them. “No, Max. I really like them.”

Max’s eyes widen in excitement for a moment. “Here,” She carefully puts on the bracelet onto Chloe’s hand, as a smile slowly emerges from the blonde.

She looks at it, admiring it, “Thank you so much.” She turns her arms around, examining the bracelet some more. She lets out a puff of air of excitement, as there is finally some life into her body. “Max, uh...there’s one thing I wanted to tell you before you leave.” Max stares back at her, waiting for her words. Chloe, swallows to clear her throat, looking back at the brunette. “I love you, Max.”

Max’s mouth opens, almost wanting to automatically reply with Chloe’s same word. She bites her lips, thinking about it. _Even though the conversation went very differently in the past, I remember she also said this too. I shrugged it off like it wasn’t a big deal, end of conversation. Maybe because I was angry in the past or a little clueless or didn’t think much about it when Chloe said it. I had my parents, they were all the love and emotional support I needed. But Chloe, didn’t have that. She searched hard looking for it, hoping to find some boys that can show her real love. She never found any. Deep down inside, I know she really loved me. Maybe I felt I was too young and shy or confused to even confess such of a thing._

There is a long silence, longer than how the scene originally played out. Chloe’s body fidgets, becoming uneasy with the rising tension. She lets out a joke, “Sorry Max, I didn’t mean to sound all stupid lesbian in your face. I know you-.”

Max grabs Chloe’s cheeks with both hands, immediately silencing her. She looks dearly in Chloe’s ocean blue eyes and give her a quick kiss on the lips. Chloe’s face went stiff for a moment, but it relaxes with a smile, with tears dripping down her face. The tiny brunette whispers, “I love you, Chloe. I’ve always had.”

Chloe bites her lips, hearing the brave, bold words from the thirteen years old girl. She bursts into tears, wanting to cover her face, but she couldn't because the brunette was holding onto her face. Through her sobbing, “Max, let just fucking run away together, okay? Fuck Seattle.” Max sniffs her nose, and grab both of Chloe's arms. “Oww!” She flinches, repelling away.

Max looks down at Chloe’s arms, who were covered up in long sleeves. _This never happened...._ “Chloe, what’s wrong?”

Shame fills into Chloe’s face, as she turns her body away from Max, shaking her head.

“Chloe...” Max looks at her with earnest eyes from behind.

Chloe peeks over her shoulder, to see Max’s eyes, then she gives a loud sigh. She turns around, holding out her left arm, whimpering, and crying.

Max gently rolls up Chloe’s sleeve, as the blonde lets out a soft hiss from the sharp pain. Underneath, there were bandages with dried blood on it. “Chloe…what happened?” _I’ve never seen this before._

Chloe pulls her arm away, putting it down on her lap. She leans forward, dipping her head down, “This morning, I..." She lets out a sigh. "...just got fucking depressed and shit. I thought about everything, my Dad dying, that I just got knocked up by a fucking trash, then later tossed aside to be laughed at by his friends. And you fucking leaving to Seattle. I wanted to just end it all. Quickly. So I grab a kitchen knife and…”

Max rushes over and pressing her face into Chloe’s jawbone. “W-What?!?!”

“I gave a few slashes to my arm. It felt good for a little bit. A sharp pain to numb my fucking miserable mind." Sorrow begins creeping into her tone, "But then I started thinking about you and Mom.”

Max sobs into the blonde’s neck and gripping her body. “Chloe!”

Chloe closes her eyes, dipping her head, “Sorry, Max. I didn’t mean for you to find this out.”

Max pulls her head out, to give the blonde girl a peck at her cheek, “I’m so fucking glad I did.”

Chloe looks at the brunette in her eyes, squeezing both of her shoulders, “I know Max. I suck for not telling you. I know it just absolutely silly to be hurt yourself or even the idea of putting an end to your own life.”

Max’s eyes drifts down, not even nodding in agreement to her best friend's words. She gently pushes back from the blonde, carefully settling back onto the bench. “Chloe...there is something I have to tell you.”

Chloe looks at her with a puzzled look, “What? Of course Max.”

“I know how you’re feeling right, now.”

Chloe’s voice became stern, not liking the assertive words she is hearing, “Max?”

“Before I tell you that..." Max takes a deep breath, and pouts her lips. She glances curiously, hoping to see affirmative eyes, after she tells her best friend what she has to say next. She starts with a calm voice, "Chloe, I found out that I have the ability to reverse time. I’m actually eighteen years old, and from the future. I came back because I wanted to see you again.”

Chloe’s eye brow raises, her eyes drifting to the side, then back to the brunette. She lets out a silent chuckle, but confusion slips back into face. “Max...uh, what the fuck? Are you going crazy?”

“Chloe, you were nineteen when you get murdered. I saved you with my power, but that caused a tornado to destroy Arcadia Bay. I had to let you die, to save the town.” Max brings her knuckles up to rest her chin on. “Then my parents dies in a car accident, shortly after your death, driving down to Arcadia Bay to visit your grave.”

Chloe scoffs, shaking her head, “Max...seriously, don’t fuck with me.”

Max’s body falls back a little, distancing herself from the blonde, “Listen Chloe. I don’t expect you to believe me at all. I know you just went through a tough time yesterday and today. I hate seeing you like this. But at the same time, I absolutely happy to see you.” Max presses her lips thin trying to form a smile, but there is no joy in her face. “I’ve been struggling with processing everything with you and my parents’ deaths. So this very moment, means so much to me right now. Even if this is just a dream, and I'm able to stay asleep just for this very moment. Thank you, Chloe.” Max’s eyes were filled with tears, hanging on. “I love you Chloe. We can end this conversation, right now.”

Chloe looks back, seeing the teary eyes of her best friend, and sensing the deep sorrow inside her. While both of the girls do tease with each other a lot, Max isn't the type of person to joke around especially right after her best friend just poured her heart out, and showing that she was about to take her own life. Chloe knows this, and has to swallow her disbelief and trust her best friend's words. “No, don’t.” She comes in closer, grabbing Max’s hand, and interlocking it with hers. She flutters her eyes closed for a moment, taking a deep breath. “Let’s talk about everything. Your parents is gone too?”

Max wets her lips, giving a soft smile to Chloe. “Thanks for listening to me.” She nods her head, “Yes, I’m all alone. I don’t have you or my parents. And Chloe, I didn’t talk to you for five years while I was Seattle, because I was fucking stupid! I hate myself for doing that to you.”

Chloe nods her head softly, squeezing their interlocked hands, “You...had to have a good reason, Max. I know you did.”

“No, I didn’t. When you got shot and killed, it was actually my first time seeing you in years. And I was hiding in the restroom when it happened.”

“Max...Wh-at…”

“There isn’t anything else to say.” The brunette dips her head. “My mind is slowly crumbling. I’ve been holding it in, dreaming that I can save you, and my parents. But I can’t, because it will destroy this entire town. I’m so detached from reality now, that even my own parents’ death who died earlier today, hasn’t sunk in yet. Because a part of me feels I can still save you guys. But at same time, I know I can’t.”

Chloe shakes her head, having trouble processing all of this. Couldn’t think of anything better, she mutters out, “Max, you have to stay strong.”

Max’s throat thickens, making it difficult to talk, “I’m not strong. I don’t know how I will feel in the future. What if more people gets killed around me? And I can't do anything about it.”

“Max, that is life. People dies all the time beyond our control.”

“I know. The only differences is that I feel I’m responsible. Because if I could only rewind time to stop you from getting killed in that bathroom. Or rewind time to call my Mom and Dad, to tell them to not come to Arcadia Bay and stay in Seattle.”

Chloe looks down at the bench, “So, if you use your power, the tornado comes?”

“Yes. Or at least I think that is the reason. One came when I saved you. The tornado basically kill almost everyone in the town.”

“Can’t you warn the town about the tornado?”

Max closes her eyes, trying to recall that awful week, “There were several other complications. I also didn’t think it was real until it was too late. There just weren’t any time to properly set off any warning. There are limitations to my powers, and it isn’t just the tornado.”

There is a short silence, as Chloe puts both of her hands on top of her head, looking down at the bench, again trying to process everything Max is saying. There's probably isn't any good words to give, Max is just content with seeing her best friend.

Max glances at Chloe, hesitating on what she has to say next. “I’m getting very desensitized about death. Along with this huge burden on my shoulders, I don’t think I can ever live a normal life, anymore. I keep thinking if it worth killing an entire town, to save the three most important people in my life. Or maybe...I’ve been thinking possibly, just...ending it all completely.”

Chloe turns her head, peeking her eyes through her fingers, “Ending it?…What do you mean Max?” She puts down her hands, to give the brunette a full look at her face. “Max? You better not even think about ending your own life, you hear that? I love you, too fucking much.”

Max presses her lips thin, “Chloe, you almost tried to kill yourself.”

“I know. I thought about you and my mother, that's what keeping my life is going.”

“Doesn’t matter, you’re not even here with me anymore. Neither is my parents.” Max snarls back but her abrupt anger quickly subsides back into her sobbing.

Chloe’s lips quiver, knowing that her words may not have enough effect, because Max no longer have anyone to go to anymore. “Max…You have a lot to live for in your life. I know you may feel like you're in a very dark place, right at this moment. And believe me, I know how it is. Fuck I’m so bad this mushy shit. But seriously, you’re too great of a person, to throw their life away. You will find another best friend. You will find someone that’ll treat you like their daughter. You will do fine, Max. Think about your friends…”

Max grasps at her chest, thinking of her best friend’s words. “Joyce.”

Chloe nods in a cheerful manner, “Mom...Yes! My mother would love to take you in as her daughter.”

Max continues, “And Kate...and Rachel.”

“Who is this, Kate?”

“Kate Marsh is a very sweet girl. Very pure and the most kind person you’ll ever meet.”

“Sounds like an amazing person, Max.” There is an odd gleam of positivity in the eyes of the blonde girl.

“And there’s Rachel Amber...she is a time traveler like me too. She's the one that actually took me back here.”

“Rachel Amber?” The eyebrows of the blonde girl raises in curiosity. “The smart girl in my class? Really? She took you back here?”

“Yeah, she’s in your class? I never knew that.”

“Yeah…” Chloe dips her head down, pondering about the conversation. Something has been a thought in her head, ever since hearing about her fate. “Max, so is my destiny doomed? Like even with you telling me all about my future?”

“Yes. We’re going have to reset all of this so the conversation never happened. So the future remains the same.”

“Damn, Max.” She lets out a sigh of frustration.

 _Damn, this must be tough on Chloe. To feel so hopeless._ “I’m so sorry Chloe." Max looks back at her helpless best friend, to know that you’re days are marked and nothing can be done about it. There were more to it than that, so the brunette continues explaining. "The Rachel in this timeline, the one that is in your class, she actually died months before you died. There is an alternate parallel timeline or something, somehow the Rachel there can interact with this timeline. The alternate timeline Rachel is the one helping me, and she actually took over the Rachel in this timeline, at least for now.”

The blonde clenches her teeth, but rest of her face went numb. “Shit, this is some pretty weird sci-fi shit.”

“No joke. I really want to be with you, but I don’t know. The more I think about it, I think this Rachel is the key to saving you, but at the same time she will hold the key to our future. If you know what I mean…”

“Her time rewind power is different than yours?”

“Yes, and it is much stronger. I’m just worried that she may...retaliate against me one day. If she brings you back, she probably wants to bring herself back in this timeline. She wasn’t exactly the best influence on you. Her death eventually led to your death, as well. So if I bring her back, I’m afraid it’ll lead to you dying again. And again, an endless cycle of depression for me.”

“Max...I would love to be with you. What makes you think she will retaliate?”

“She seems very obsessive. She loves the version of me in her timeline. And I think in this timeline, she may have been in love with you Chloe, as well.”

“Who wouldn’t love you, Max? And wow, I do think she is kind of hot.” The blonde girl nervously eyes the brunette, and mutters quietly, “Sorry…”

“It’s okay. I think she's hot, too.” Max lets out a soft smile, agreeing. “But should I get close with her, or distance myself from her?”

Chloe pouts her lips, hunching her body a little bit. “Max, I know I’m the worst person to say this, since I’m guilty 500% of it all the fucking time. But don’t burn any bridges, okay? I mean, I obviously did that with you, and that is what got me killed.”

“Chloe, it not on you-”

Chloe interrupts with a bolder voice, “Max...we can’t always be thinking about the regrets in the past, then we lose sight of the things we have around us in the present and future.”

Max dips her head, down. “I know…”

“I’m not saying to _not_ rescue me and your parents. I’m just saying there are other people than just me and your parents. You have to cherish their lives and wishes, too.”

It is odd to see Chloe, talking like this, quite a opposite to her usual personality. Perhaps, deep down inside Chloe can be mature, selfless and sympathetic person. Or in combination, she knows when she has to put aside her ego and hotheadedness, when the person she cares the most in the world is in a difficult situation.

Max nods her head in agreement, “I guess I used to hate it, to have your life, my parents’ lives, and all of Arcadia Bay in my hand. But now, I feel my life is in Rachel’s hand, too.”

“She will take care of you.” Chloe’s phone buzzes, totally grabbing the blonde girl’s attention. She pulls it out of her pocket, cursing at it. “Fuck, who is this 562 area code? Where the fuck is that, anyways?”

Max, looks at her phone, being reminded how Rachel and her are separated right now. “Chloe, pick it up.”

“Max, no. I want to talk to you.”

“Just pick it up, and make sure it isn’t Rachel.”

“What?” She looks at Max’s concerned look, then swipes the phone before it went to voicemail, “Hi, who is this?”

“Is this Chloe Price?” asks the voice on the phone.

“Yes, who is this?”

“Thank fucking god. I’m glad I memorized Two Whales phone number to call your mother. Is Max with you?”

“Yes, but who are you?”

“This is Rachel Amber. I’m so relieved that she’s with you. I wasn't sure.”

“Rachel? You…really did bring her back to me?” Chloe smiles, looking at the brunette sitting right next to her. “I hate you because I don’t know how you’re so hot, yet so smart.”

Rachel laughs on the phone, “Well I love you, too Chloe. You’re pretty hot, yourself. And yes I did bring her back. She really cares about you, Chloe.” She puffs out a breath on her side of the line. “She loves you.”

“I know.” Still keeping eye contact with Max. “I know she does.”

“Am I bothering you with something? Or may I talk to Max?”

“Yes, you can talk to Max. But...Rachel?” Chloe’s eyes lift up, with something boiling on her tongue.

“Yes, Chloe?”

“I know I don’t really know you that well. I’m in your class but you probably know me for being a punk ass. If I do get to know you more in the future, I apologize for being a total bitch. I just know it. But I take it you don’t really know Max? At least the Max in this whatever timeline.”

“...Not really.”

Chloe continues on, “Max, I know she may be dorky and nosy.” She looks back at the brunette, reaching over at her cheek, squeezing it. “She can be reserved and awkward as hell. But deep down inside, is a girl with a real heart.” Max pouts her lips from the touching words from her best friend. “I’ve been making excuses and neglecting her. And yet, she is still so loyal. It may take a while to break through her shell. But she is the most amazing best friend, anyone can ask for.” The blonde glances over at her cuts on her arm with wide-opened eyes, in silence. Slowly, she seeps in the thought of it and everything Max said. Seeing how her life currently is, and what path she is probably going to take in her life. She flutters her eyes closed for a heartbeat, “I know I don’t get to live long in this world...and I think I know why. Because I’m stubborn and reckless. But please...can you take care of Max, when I’m gone?”

There is a short silence on the other line as Rachel needed a moment. “Of course, Chloe.” She sniffs her nose, “I know Max is a great person. And I know you’re a great person, too if Max loves you this much.”

“Thank you so much, Rachel. Here’s Max.” She hands the phone to her best friend.

Max wipes her wet nose with the sleeves of her shirt, and picks up the phone. “Rachel?”

“Max, sorry that I'm not with you, right now. I’m in Long Beach.”

“That's fine. Did you get to see your family?”

“Yes I certainly did. We watched the rest of a football game and ate some burnt pizza together.”

Max laughs through her thick throat. “That’s sounds fucking awesome. I hope you had some good moments.”

“Yes, I did. Are you ready to go?”

Max sniffs her nose, “Yeah...Let me say, goodbye.”

“Sure.”

Max puts the phone, faced down on her lap. She dips her face close to her best friend, whispering to her. “Goodbye, Chloe.”

Chloe doesn’t hesitate, and dips her face forward, so their lips make contact. She runs her lips to the side to Max’s cheeks, and whispers softly close to her ear. “You can trust her. Be strong, Max. With or without me. I know you’ll make the right decision.”

She backs away, with one of her hand holding onto Max’s hand, and the other one, reaching to pick up the phone, holding it up for the brunette.

Max nods, and pick up the phone. “I’m ready to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This chapter got very long, so it is somewhat abrupt ending. I apologize for it. Of course, it'll pick up where it left off in the next one. I'm happy to finally introducing some connections between the Rachels, even if it not a lot. I did like writing this chapter because of it still darker tone, but a little different message. Max, always been someone that has the burden of controlling everyone with her time power. And finally, she can be the one to be manipulated and be controlled. There's been some talk about people thinking if Max is a hero or a villain in the game. That always something that strikes me interesting. I always think it is very subjective in the context. I know I mentioned about jumping back to Rachel's timeline, but this is the sequence I wanted to add. I really want Max to get some inspiring hope and thoughts from her best friend about everything. Of course, naturally Max will want to save her best friend and her parents, but there are many questions.
> 
> My other intention of this sequence is Rachel seeing this timeline also planted a thought in her mind. Not much is talk about it in this chapter, but more so next one.
> 
> Thank you for keeping up with the story. Feel free to leave any comments about my story, or even theories you thought were interesting in Life is Strange.
> 
> 9/28/16 : I removed the whole Rachel's body is chopped to pieces. I really don't think Jefferson would do that. I think before I was going for a more 'shock value' but I greatly regret that. :)


	12. Nothing To No One

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory

#### October 14th, 2013 2:07 AM

Rachel and Max appears back together in front of the blurred hazy dormitory after their brief adventure into the past. They were both underneath a small, suffocating dome that seems like it would be the area teared between the two timelines. The blond rolls away, falling into crossed legs, tilting her upper body forward, stretching her back. The time travel is more aching for her than before, since she actually inhabited the physical body of the Rachel in Max's timeline. The one that eventually met her demise to Mark Jefferson.

Lying prone, Max rests her head down a little, thinking about the trip she just went through. Her best friend nearly took her own life, right underneath her nose. Doesn’t make it any less painful, even if Chloe is dead, showing how insensitive she was to her own best friend. _She must have hated me back then, that’s why she didn’t call me._ Chloe was always hot headed, and that only magnified after William’s death. Max, while she's a caring person, she wasn’t exactly great with dealing with difficult people back then, even her own best friend.

Max lets out a grunt, stretching her arms out. Seeing Chloe partially devastated her, but at same time imbued some renewed hope within her. _I have to push on._ She crawls towards the blond girl, pushing herself off the ground, giving Rachel a tender hug from behind, “Thank Rachel.” Max mutters quietly, brushing her face into the side of hers.

Rachel’s body hardly fidget, standing cold and firm. She glances over her shoulder towards the brunette, “Max, let’s go save your Chloe.” She tilts her head up towards the sky, which the two moons, slowly pulsating through the haze they’re both in.

Max slowly slides off the blond. “What?”

Rachel presses her lips tight. “What do you mean, _what_? That is what you wanted, right? Tell me where I need to go.” There is resentment in her tone, yet it remains somewhat soft and calm.

Max stammers a few nonsensical words at first, “I-I...I don’t know where to begin.”

“She got shot in the restroom in Blackwell Academy, right? Let’s go back there.”

There is a short pause from Max, as her heart begins racing as both excitement and uncertainty collides together inside her body. “Rachel…you were dead by then.” The brunette didn't try to put any emphasis that both Rachels were different people this time. She places her hand on Rachel’s shoulder, gripping it. “Let’s go save you, too.”

She shrugs Max’s hand off, coldly. “It’s fine, Max. Just leave me dead.”

With all of this rushed talking, Max totally forgot about her previous reservations against Rachel, when she was talking with Chloe. How she was worried about Rachel would try to bring herself back in this timeline, possibly causing more trouble and harm. Instead, the opposite happens and now Max is concerned.

Max’s eyebrow furrows, and her breathing pauses for a second. “...Why?”

“Just save Chloe. Don’t bother with me.”

Max bites her own tongue, “No. I...I mean we can’t do that.”

Rachel’s voice starts to raise slightly, as frustration begins brewing in her belly, “This is your fucking chance, take it or leave it.”

“Rachel...what happened? You were all different on the phone.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to interrupt you two lovebirds.” Rachel mutters with jealousy in her tone.

“Even before we went to the past, you were all chirpy.” Max positions herself so she can sees Rachel’s face, then wrapping her arms around her knees. “Tell me, please.”

Rachel leans her body back, tipping her face again towards the hazy sky. “Some stuffs are a bit obvious, isn’t it? Your timeline...is my future. Everything I do, will ultimately wind up with me...dead.” She turns around, and slowly shifts her body towards the brunette, who’s staring back in silence and disbelief. “Maxine, the person that got me this far in my life, my best friend, someone I love, and the hope in my life." She shoves her bottom lip between her teeth, biting it for a moment, then releasing it. "Going from that to...you.” She points at the brunette, “...who doesn’t know a single thing about me or even made any contact.” She lets out a sarcastic chuckle. “Only means one thing.” She brushes her bangs away from her face. “That something happened between us.”

Max presses her lips thin, still in disbelief. “But you don’t know what happened. It could be anything.”

“Yeah...anything.” Rachel mutters under her breath. “There is a time to finally be realistic with something, instead of stupid, blind optimism.”

“Rachel, assuming any of this is true. You still survived, though. So there is hope, even without...me. And you did make contact with Chloe. She loved you very much.” The brunette’s eyes drifts of the side for a heartbeat. “Even I admit I'm a little envious.”

“Well then, why you sweating about bringing me back to life, if you’re jealous?”

Max thinks for a moment, about her conversation with Chloe. _‘You can trust her. Don’t burn any bridges’ says Captain Chloe. I have to put aside some of my concerns._ “My slight jealousy is nothing compared to how much I want you alive.”

Rachel gives steady eye contact with the brunette, “I don’t know. You said I didn’t love her back. So why the fuck did I end up in Arcadia Bay, then? Just to get murdered?”

“Maybe, there’s more to it than that. Chloe was pretty self destructive even before I left to Seattle.” Max buries her face behind her hands, and continues talking through it, “In the time, you just took me back. She tried to take her own life earlier that day. Maybe down the line she got even more depressed, and you went to Arcadia Bay to save her.”

Rachel presses her lips, hearing that Chloe almost took her own life, made her a little sad. “So, I must have liked Chloe, or at least still cared about her. But I hated you.” Rachel brushes her bangs, giving a smug look towards the brunette. “Wow, and you want me back alive, after all that? I could take away your precious blue haired angel.”

“Rachel...I want you alive. I want to hold your hands. All of us. I wanna laugh together.” Max grips onto her bangs, while her face still covered by her fingers. “Maybe, just like you went back to save Chloe. You’re doing the same right now to save me.”

“I don’t know if I’m saving you. I just made a Bible girl care about you.”

“You taking me these trips back to my memories to help build my courage. To remind me, I have to keep pushing along, no matter what happens.”

“More like making it more painful for you, from all the hopelessness feeling.”

“Maybe at first. But I think in the end, I will become stronger.” Max finally reveals her red puffy eyes, she wiggles her way closer to Rachel. “You doing all of this, because maybe you wanted all of us to be here together. Time travel is so fucking mysterious. So maybe the first Rachel tried it this way, and she has her regrets. So subconsciously, or whatever-the-fuck in out of time, she wanted things different for everyone.”

Rachel glares back with her bold eyes, “That is a big ‘Maybe’. Or deep down inside, she knows nothing will ever pan out the way she wants. So she is the one that unleashed that tornado. And she gave you her powers just to see how badly you wanted Chloe and she wanted you to suffer for it. I don't think it is mysterious, I think it fucking crystal clear.”

Max’s face weakens more, hearing Rachel’s hurtful words. _There could be some truth to that._ The weakness continues drifting down her body like the plague, making her slouch slightly. “Rachel, why don’t you want to live?”

“I’m not even in the same timeline as you are. The Rachel you want to save, isn’t even me. I’m not dead...Not yet. So whatever reason that made this Rachel to purposely avoid you. Well..." She lets out a chuckle. "I’m probably going to find out soon.”

“You may never know. You have to think positive. Have faith in yourself and your friends.”

 _What friends?_ Rachel shakes her head, “I’m not like you. I’ve seen the way you and Chloe look at each other and bond with each other.” She closes her eyes for a short moment, letting out a sigh, “Maybe back then I thought that was how me and Maxine were. That we were going to be inseparable forever. But it is just wishful thinking on my part.”

“You are your own worst critic. It is all in your head. I put myself down all the time. Believe me. I'm living a life where I'm bullied, and they make me feel absolutely worthless. And to be honest, I still feel like that very often, than I like to admit. I want to help you, Rachel. With the two moons in the sky, let me come into your timeline.”

“Haha, and what?” Rachel lets a forced laughter. “Cuddle and have sex with me all day long? Trying to plant some thoughts into Maxine to force her to love me? I don't need your pity.”

“No. I just want to learn more about you. Sometimes it may be hard to see things at times, but a second perspective can help.”

Having Max jump into her timeline may be useful. There is going to be a lot of information you can learn, but maybe too much and not the ones you want to hear. Rachel pauses for a moment, thinking of the upcoming challenges she has to deal with in her timeline. Her voice became soft, “Max, there's some dangerous stuff involved. You’re such a pure and sweet girl. I would never want to take that away from you.”

“What dangerous stuff?”

“I’m going to go back in the past to save Chloe’s father. He got murdered cold blooded by someone. I think there's something big behind all of this.” The blond whips her hair forward, pressing a few strands to her chin nervously, “Who knows if the Prescotts are involved. Even though I know my future and my eventual fate, I do not know the exact paths I took. So I do not know if the paths I’m going to take is all the same, or if they’re new, that could possibly change my fate completely. For the better or worse. That is why I want you to change your past now, for Chloe. Because I do not know if I will live long.”

“Rachel…I have faith in you, that you will get through all of this.”

“Even if I do, and then I find out the truth.” Rachel releases her hair, fluttering her eyes closed. “I may grow to be resentful, with a huge amount of hatred towards you. Then later on, I’ll refuse to change your past.”

“Rachel…”

“I’m not a good person, Max. If I was, then...many things would be different about my life. Perhaps, that why the Rachel in your timeline decided to reset everything to go back to Long Beach. To reset about fifteen years is a huge fucking deal. Only something catastrophic would justify that. And also shows how fucked up I am.”

Max stiffens her posture, and with a bold tone, “You control your destiny. We are all fucked up in some way. If you’re saying people like Nathan Prescott is the model child for this society, then I want out of this. Someone pure as Kate Marsh, has shitheads bullying her everyday." She lets out sigh. "So what makes you…’fucked up’?” Her voice becomes soft, “Tell me. It’s okay. ”

“I’m pretty much a typical girl who was raised with no father, with no one to look up to. Not just that, my time rewind powers… or whatever supernatural power I have when I was growing up. I got it when my Dad died. I don’t know if there some fucked up mysticism on the Indian burial grounds. I have no idea why I was given this, but I got it. Maybe someone wants me to use it destroy the Prescotts with it. I did hate them a lot growing up, and I still hate them.” Rachel reaches for the top of her head, yanking on some strands of hair in frustration. “I saw visions that seemed totally real. Have you had any, Max?”

The brunette nods her head, “Totally. I had a few visions.” _That other version of me that I just saw, I'm not sure if she is real or just my imagination._

“Yes, it is like that, but for your entire life, growing up as a child and still fucking going now. And it feels so real, doesn't it? So many people made fun of me. And said awful things to me. Maxine, she stood by my side. When it got really bad, we ran away together from home when she turned eighteen. I feel bad she has to ditch and lose her parents for me, but part of me, think about ‘What other options do I have?’”

Max’s curious eyes scan all over the blond girl. “Did these visions affect you and Maxine?”

“I had several including ones where I saw Maxine jumping off the roof in Blackwell Academy. And a water sprout...” Rachel pauses, pondering about it.

“Rachel…?”

“I wonder if the Rachel in this timeline, seriously tried everything. And I mean everything. Preventing Maxine from going to Blackwell. Preventing Chloe and her father’s death from being shot in Downtown Arcadia Bay. Then something really bad happens, forcing her to save her father from going to Arcadia Bay. And she also tried staying out of Arcadia Bay, then realizing something went wrong. Like Chloe..." Rachel's eyebrow lowers, "...attempted to kill herself.”

Max blinks her eyes slowly, “Then I get killed by Mark Jefferson…” Her voice drifts off.

Rachel winces, her body trembling slightly, “W-Who?”

Max looks at Rachel who is showing some discomfort from the name. _Shit, I can’t even say his name? At least her nose isn’t bleeding._ “Shit Rachel...Well this person came real close to murdering me, but Chloe’s stepfather saved me.” Rachel rubs her forehead, to soothe the pounding headache she has. “If Chloe died or attempted suicide, I’m not sure how Joyce would have been, and if she would marry David Madsen.”

Rachel squeezes her eyes closed, as the pulsating pain slowly subsides. Max looks on in silence, giving her a moment to recover.

The blond opens her eyes, “Okay enough of this, I need to go. Max, it is time. I don’t think my time travel will cause any tornadoes. I don’t think so, at least.” She brushes off her jeans, readjusting her numb legs. “This is seriously your last chance, do you want to save Chloe, now?”

Max looks back with earnest eyes, pressing her lips thin. There is sorrow in her eyes. In both hers and Rachel’s eyes.

Max closes her eyes shut, nodding. “Okay...”

Rachel turns her body to face the brunette. “I have to break Chloe’s promise of watching over you, but that’s fine because she will take care of you from now on.” Rachel grabs onto one of Max’s arm, and giving a stiff smile to her. “After this, I don’t think I’ll ever see you again. I hope you understand.”

Max’s eyebrow furrows slightly, while her eyes still remain closed. “Why?”

“What’s the point of me coming here? I’ve served my only purpose to you,” Rachel says it, full of bitter, causing Max to wince from hearing it. “So I'm saving Chloe for you, and saving Chloe’s father for Chloe in my timeline.” Rachel’s voice drifts away, as a cold feeling seeps up into her stomach. _I am going to wither away in everyone’s memories. I’m going to be all alone._ Rachel’s bottom lip tucks between her teeth, with her chewing on it nervously. “I’ll have to search my own path. Whatever that is.” Rachel’s eyes focus back on the brunette with a more bold tone. “So, Max. Right now, where do I need to go?”

Max looks back in silent. _I can have Chloe...but not Rachel? I can’t even think straight and answer this._ Her body straightens up, trying to piece something for Rachel, “Umm...right at the bathroom, but…” Max pauses again. _I don’t want to hit the fire alarm again. I also can’t let Nathan fire his gun. But if he doesn’t fire it, he could get away. But at least Mark Jefferson would get captured...right?_ All these thoughts races through the fragile mind of the brunette, making it difficult for her to talk. She is thinking about every possible scenarios, and try to estimate if there is any weakness or possible negative consequences in each one. “Nathan, I think he was on drugs. He might shoot me just out of pure paranoia.”

Rachel’s mouth drops, “What?” She shakes her head, with a concerned look. “Fuck that. I’m not going to put you through that, even if I can rewind. Is there any other time? Like earlier?”

“Yeah there has to be…” Max lowers herself, falling onto her back. _Rachel…_ Max couldn’t focus anymore, as she is thinking of scenarios when she can save Chloe. But separately, she is thinking of scenarios where she can save both Chloe and Rachel, even if it is against _this_ Rachel's wishes. _Chloe is going to be devastated again, with Rachel gone. But it's okay, I can be there with Chloe forever...right?_ Max opens her eyes, looking at the blond girl staring back at her. Words from the Nightmare Max plays over in her head.

 _“Poor Rachel, she going to go on this path to make everyone she loves, happy. But at the end of the path, she will finds that everyone has already closed their doors on her.”_ An overwhelming amount of stress begins to burden her body, causing her to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

Rachel sees the sudden discomfort in the poor girl, “Max?”

Max shakes her head profusely, grasping at her arms. _I thought I was ready to do this. It’s my best friend and my parents. But somehow this guilt is killing me. Is that how the original Rachel was? Like this Rachel? Who just looks on from a distant, watching the people she loves. Then she fades away from everyone’s memories._ Max slithers her fragile body on the ground, away from the blond girl, “No...Rachel, please stop it.”

“Max, get back in here.” Rachel takes a step forward, but stops immediately, seeing how adamant the poor brunette is trying to crawl away. “Are you okay?”

“Rachel...I can’t do this. Please don’t make me.” Max crawls out of the distortion and back into her timeline.

Rachel’s body freezes just standing there. _I’m just a ghost to her...in both timelines. It’s her best friend and her parents that I can save. Why won’t she take my help?_

Max crawls away for a short distance, but then she stops. Her body begins shaking, not sure from the cold weather or from something else. Rachel follows after her, walking through the dome, into her astral form.

“Max!” Rachel cries, seeing the brunette on the floor, shaking uncontrollably.

“Rachel…” Max lets out a hiss through her shivering, able to hear her. “Please don’t.”

“Don’t worry, I won't. I’ll try and call for help.”

Max pauses for a bit. “Second floor…” her voice gets cut out as the trembling increases.

“Got it…” Rachel races towards the dormitory door, praying there is a map or a list of the tenants, hoping she can find some familiar names like Kate or Victoria.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory : 2F

#### October 14th, 2013 2:15 AM

Rachel peers her head, looking at the map. 

_Max Caulfield...Room 219...there’s Kate Marsh! That's Room 222 and...Victoria Chase 221...Dana Ward 218?_

Rachel looks to the left and sees the door that is opened is room 218. She peeks her head into the room, seeing a girl on the laptop. _Is that her?_ She sneaks up to the girl to get a better view, seeing she is browsing on Facebook.

Rachel grabs at her chest. _It is her! She’s the friend of Chloe in my timeline. The one that went missing._ Rachel still holding onto her chest, drapes her head down. _Please stay safe in this timeline._

Rachel slowly drifts away towards the hallway, keeping eye contact with Dana. _I hope you’re...still alive in my timeline._ She continues down the hallway towards Kate Marsh’s room. She walks into the room, scanning around the room, seeing a violin case by her bed. _She seems very religious._ She looks to the side of the door, noticing there's a familiar candlestick. _This is the room I was in...where the ceiling kept growing, and the blue butterfly flew close to this candle. And my hand first went on fire. I remember hearing Max’s words and violin playing. Was that how I rewind time here while keeping Kate’s memory? How the hell did I do that?_

Rachel steps out the room, continuing across into Max’s room. Inside, she sees Kate sleeping peacefully there.

Rachel lets out a sigh, followed with a smile. She hurries towards the sleeping girl. _She's keeping Max company...Wake up, Kate!_ She goes up to Kate, concentrating her energy, then she flicks her nose. Kate’s eyebrow furrows slightly, then she rubs her nose in an adorable fashion, before going back to a peaceful sleep.

Rachel holds her hand out, getting ready to slap her, but then a red flame, suddenly emits from her arm. She flinches from the fiery beauty of it, unsure if it’ll harm Kate or even herself. An aura in the air slowly expands, engulfing and surrounding Kate, almost as if it placing her in some vacuum. _Geez, what is this now? Can I rewind?_ Rachel focuses her power, as she can feel her fingertips tingling, drawing powers around her to form it around Kate. _Was this what I did earlier? In her room?_ The flame in Rachel’s arm grows larger, as some lightning sparks begins crackling. _Oh no, I hope I don’t blow her up with some energy blast..._

She releases her energy, followed by a thundering, whirling sound. Something is rewinding, but it seems like it is focused on Kate only, as she tosses back and forth on the couch, until finally she is standing up facing the couch, right beside Rachel.

“Time to sleep, Max,” she yawns, rubbing her eyes. Then her eyes suddenly flutters open in pure shock, “WOAH!” she lets out a terrifying but cute yelp, falling forward and crashing hard into the couch.

 _Shit, oh no Kate!_ Rachel holds out her hands, even if it is a fruitless attempt to assist her.

Kate lets out a cry in pain, as her body slowly slides back down clumsily and adorably, onto the floor. Rachel steps towards the window, looking out of it. She can see Max’s body still lying on the ground. _She's still on the ground. Did I rewind Kate, but somehow keeping everything else progressing normally through time?_

Rachel turns back to Kate, who is squirming and writhing in pain on the ground. “Did I sleepwalk?” she mutters through the pulsating pain. She, then rolls over onto her back, taking note of the empty bed. “Max?”

_She seems to remember she was already sleeping...Did I only rewind her position, but keeping her memory?_

She rolls again, onto her knees, with her two hands pressing against the ground in front of her, scanning around the room. Rachel turns her attention to the window blinds again, concentrating on her fingertips and flicks the blinds, causing it to rattle, catching Kate’s attention.

Kate’s eyes widen in horror, and crawls backward a little bit. 

_Oh shit...No, Kate. Don’t get scared!_

Kate’s breathing intensify looking at the empty bed, then sees Max’s phone on the nightstand. She gets up, taking a gulp, piecing together all the courage she can muster in her body, bravely and steadily approaches the window. Rachel steps to the side, as if she is giving room for the church girl.

Kate slips her fingers between the blinds, to open and peer into it. Her face became white, as she sees a body in the middle of the yard. “Max?! Please God, no.” She whimpers. “This is my fault…” She whispers softly, and digs her knuckles into her cheeks.

She scrambles around the room, grabbing a couple of jackets and clothing she can find, and rushes out the room with Rachel following behind her. Running as fast as she can down the hallway, passing Dana’s room.

Dana catches a glimpse of Kate passing by, she quickly picks up a jacket from the stack of laundry, puts on some flip flops and follow after the church girl.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory

#### October 14th, 2013 2:24 AM

“Here...” Kate gently wraps the last jacket on top of Max. Despite it is sad for Max to suffer another panic attack, it is rather comedic with the amount of clothing is stacked onto the poor brunette girl. Kate lets out a sigh, grasping her chest, and closing her eyes.

“Thanks, Kate.” The brunette shivers underneath the pile of jackets, slowly getting warmed up. She observes the uncomfortable girl. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”

Kate didn’t respond right away. She brings her hand from her chest, pinching her nose. “No,” she mutters in an unconvincing tone.

Dana wrapping her own body with her arms, because she also offered her jacket to Max. “You don’t see the long white hairs on Kate? She couldn’t stop freaking out.”

Max looks at the silent church girl, “I’m so sorry,” breathing heavily from the weight of the jackets.

Kate opens her eyes, “Don’t worry. Please keep focusing on your breathing.” Max nods her head in agreement, and continues taking controlled breaths.

“Kate? Can you come over here?” Dana tips her nose to the side, signaling the church girl to come a distance away from Max.

Kate nods, “We will be over here, Max,” then following Dana, who is walking about a good twenty feet away. Rachel looks at the two girls, separating themselves from Max. She curiously walks over to the girls to eavesdrop their conversation.

“Hey, is she okay?” Dana wraps her arm around the startled blond girl.

“Yeah, I mean...she must had some strong passing thoughts in her mind, while she went on what supposed-to-be a relaxing walk.” Kate looks away nervously. “But I’m glad she is okay.”

Dana nods her head in agreement. “Yes...so uh.” She takes a quick look behind, then back at Kate. “Is there something going on between you two?”

“What?”

“Sorry, I mean...that must have been insulting to you.”

“Insulting?” Kate pouts her lips. “No, not at all.”

Dana nods her head, “Listen, if you need any advice, feel free to ask me. And if anyone bully you or Max about anything...Let me know, okay?”

“Thanks, Dana.”

Rachel rubs her chin. _Dana, seems like such an awesome person. I know this is a different timeline. But still..._ Rachel lets out a sigh. _Don't worry Dana, I'll look for you._ Rachel turns to the church girl. _And Kate, too. I wonder if she has a crush on Max? She’s a Christian girl, and seems pretty hardcore, judging from her outfit and her room. Probably not...but still maybe…After hearing all these time travel powers that Max has, she bound to be questioning many things._

Rachel walks back to the shivering girl, whose cute head is sticking out from a stack of clothes. She dips down right beside Max, who is finally calming down, as her breaths has been stabilized. Perhaps, another mild panic or anxiety attack, being overwhelmed and intimidated by the stronger time master.

“Max?”

Max’s eyes lights up, slightly. Not moving her head, but her eyes scan around, “Rachel?” She whispers softly.

“I’m sorry about forcing you earlier.” Rachel lets out a sigh, drooping her head. “I’m just...scared what may happened next time between us. I don’t want to disappoint you, if I never make it back.”

“You will never disappoint me. You been so helpful for me.” Max closes her eyes, relaxing her breathing, “Rachel, my power has more limitations than yours, and I know it is a totally different situation. But Chloe’s father died in this timeline, too.” She opens her eyes, pressing her lips thin. “I couldn’t save him.”

“I’m sure you wanted to. And it was tough.”

“Yes I did. I’m just saying you don’t have to save Chloe’s father.”

“I promised, Chloe that I would. I can’t see her being miserable, especially when I know I have a chance to make things right.”

Max nods her head, slowly. _Oh, I know that feeling very well._ “I understand. Just keep in mind, your safety is most important, okay?”

“Thanks, Max.” Rachel gets off the ground, standing back up. “I have to get going, is that okay?” Rachel didn't repeat herself from earlier about asking again if Max is positive about not saving Chloe and her parents right this moment.

Max looks up in the sky with a blank look, pondering about it. _There may not be another time. It is possible she could get killed, or she will hate me. I was so caught off guard by a question that I thought I had automatic reflex to answer it with no problem. But it was so difficult for me. I really wanted Chloe, my Mom and my Dad, more than anything. Maybe I’m just greedy, but I want Rachel to be alive too. Just seeing Rachel, and how she starting break down, just tore me apart in the inside completely. I really do care about her. Maybe seeing the 'Nightmare Max’ really got underneath my skin...more than I like to admit._

Rachel continues on, as Max did not say a single word. “I’ll come looking for you in this dormitory. If not, maybe some other place?” Rachel later clarifies, “It seems like I can enter your timeline if I can track you down.”

 _Track me down? Doesn’t seem too reliable, but same time, maybe it is good to not be that reliable in finding me all the time._ Max thinks about some public landmarks around Arcadia Bay. “What about Two Whales Diner?”

“Sure, that’s where I work at.” Rachel nods her head.

“That’s cool, you work there in your timeline.”

Rachel lets out a chuckle, but it subsides quickly as she has something more serious to say. “Max, don’t lose sight of the people around you. That Kate person...I think she truly cares about you. And she really like you. I can see that.”

Max flutters her eyes closed, nodding her head. “I know she does.”

Rachel smiles, “Goodbye, then. I’ll see you, soon.”

“Rachel…”

“Yes, Max?”

“The reason why I didn’t want you to change, is you said you feel you may grow resentful towards me later.”

Rachel's eyes drifts down, muttering out softly, “Max...I…”

“What the point in changing something if you feel you will hate me later? You have control of my fate.”

“Max, I didn’t mean it. I…I’m sorry.”

“I want to make peace with you, Rachel. You’re a great person, and you deserve more than this.” Max blinks her eyes slowly. “Wherever the journey leads to, we’ll find out together, okay?”

Rachel presses her lips together, forming a soft smile, “Thank you, Max.”

“I'll see you, around.”

#### Rachel Amber

#### Blackwell Academy - Outside

#### August 24th, 2016 6:19 PM

Rachel appears back in front of the academy, as the sun still paints the school with its red golden color in the early evening. She pushes herself up from the ground, but still grasping at the wet grass on the ground.

The school janitor makes his way from the closet towards Rachel, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Rachel mutters, without even looking at him. The janitor looks on for a moment, waiting the blond girl to continue, but she has nothing more to say to him. He turns around and head back towards the closet, probably thinking Rachel is a stoner.

Still lying on the ground, her eyebrow furrows with some anger. _Am I changing my fate? Or am I going the exact same route?_ She clenches her fists, pulling some of the grasses up from the dirt.

She pushes up from the ground, landing on to her knees. She brushes off a few grasses stuck on the jeans, then stand fully up on her feet. She pulls out her phone from her pocket, walking back towards the parking lot.

“Chloe?”

“Hey Rachel.”

“Let’s go save your father, now.”

“What? Right now? Did you see Maxine, already?”

“No, I didn’t get the chance.”

“What?! You should go and get laid, before you change everything." Chloe chuckles, "Unless you waiting for it after your sweeter victory?”

“Maybe…” Rachel rolls her eyes, grumbling under her breath, half hoping Chloe won't hear it. “So can you go now?”

“Hmm...shit I’m about to eat a quick dinner with Mom. Apparently more of a last supper..." Chloe lets out a sigh on her side of the call. "But then again, not like it matters, huh?"

“No, please have dinner with Joyce. Do what makes your heart happy. Everything matters.”

“Alright, thanks Rachel. I’ll be quick. Where do you want to meet?”

“The same parking lot we met.”

Rachel finishes the call with Chloe, telling her to meet up in Downtown, to see if she can find anything else out before she changes the past. Rachel still debating about giving Maxine a call, as too many ill thoughts is plaguing the blond girl's mind. _I wonder when I'll find out what happens between me and Maxine. What could it be? Until we cross that bridge, I have to save Chloe's father._ Rachel may have to rely on her time travel powers, if she has to deal with the person or people that killed William. She continues through the winding cement walkway of Blackwell Academy, with still the two moons looking down at her from the sky.

There were several mixed emotions within the blond. There is some anger and sorrow from her time trip to Max's timeline. But at the same time, confidence in her time abilities is brewing within her. She has the power to change many things very drastically. She saved Chloe from getting gunned down, and possibly...No, she's positive, she saved Max in the other timeline from spiraling into massive depression. And now her next step is to save Chloe's father, sending another shock into her own timeline. She looks out her right arm, as it erupts into a red flame. She approaches two male students walking towards her. The students does not appear to take notice of the red fiery glow, so perhaps only Rachel and Max sees it.

_Maybe I can test out my abilities. Can I rewind just only them two? Without them remembering anything? Similar to what I did with Kate, but I rewind their memories as well?_

As she comes close the pair of students, she lowers her body, lunging low and forward, sending her fist right into his crotch. A tight groan escapes the student’s clenched teeth, as he hobbles forward onto his knees, grabbing his groin.

Before the other guy can do anything, Rachel twirls, transferring her weight to slam her forearm right into his throat. His neck gets clotheslines by her punch, being dragged for a slight moment, before crashing hard into the ground, choking.

Rachel aims both her engulfed hands at the two students. With the whirling sounds, she rewinds the two student bodies to be back up on their feet, and couple yards back, so they're in front of Rachel again, walking.

Rachel stops the rewind, and she walks past the two students casually. She grasps at her wrist, who is still trembling from the adrenaline with the strong impact she just delivered with it. She lets out a quiet, pathetic groan, as the pulsating pain starts to pierce into her mind. _Fuck, that hurt._

The two students halts in their track, and turns around at the blond walking past them. They look at each other with confused eyes for a moment, then they shrugged their shoulders and continued on walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Lots of 'what ifs' in this chapter. Knowing the future can be grim, if it doesn't line up with what you want in mind. And not knowing what you can do to change your fate, further imbues that hopeless feeling in it.


	13. A Head Full of Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!!!
> 
> This chapter and next two chapters going to contain some very heavy theme. I had a lot of difficulty writing this chapter. This may be triggering to some readers. I like to keep this simple, so I apologize ahead of time to anyone that is offended.

 

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory : Room 219

#### October 14th, 2013 3:02 AM

The windows blinds were more leveled, allowing more moonlight to bathe into the room. Max leans back against the chair at her desk, gazing out into the window at the two moons that are still up in the sky. Kate, is sitting upright on the couch behind her, looking with curious eyes at the daydreaming spaced out brunette.

Just earlier before, Dana and Kate both escorted Max back up to her room, quietly and not alerting any of the fellow students on the floor. Max feeling comfortable with Kate, and using her as a channel for her relief, again had more time traveling stories to tell. This time about Rachel and her connection with this timeline. Like before, Kate had some reservations about the blond time traveler, and she could be right about this. However, the church girl remains mostly silent about her opinion, out of respect towards Max, who seems to have a strong bond with Rachel.

Kate is surprised that Max declined Rachel’s offer to reset everything to revive Chloe and her parents. But at the same time, she is happy because resetting the time, would mean erasing everything including all the time the two girls had spent together. Even possible the memories and stories they shared with each other. And Kate wasn’t ready to let it all go, calling it almost like an apocalypse. The world is essentially ending, but recreating again in a cycle. She understood the difficulty in the choice, when Rachel added she refused to be saved.

The silence has been slowly killing her, as Kate looks on to the young photographer. Even though from Max’s perspective, there is no clear view of the yard, but she continues to stare on at the two moons, and also as if she's waiting for Rachel to show up again.

“Are you regretting not taking Rachel’s offer?” Kate finally breaks the silence. Max, doesn’t responds back right away, almost like she’s in a trance-like state. Kate, sensing she probably didn’t say the best thing to the sensitive girl. “I’m sorry.”

“There is something I regret, and it isn’t that.” Max’s eyes finally relaxes from looking at the two moons, drifting her shallow attention towards all the paper pamphlets taped up on the wall in front of her.

“What is that?”

The brunette presses her chin down to her knuckles. “I just wish I said better things to her." She continues, "Like when I was with Chloe, she was going through difficult times, but I had trouble dealing with those type of situation.” Blowing out a frustrated puff of air, “I’m just not good with people.”

“There is no way to perfectly communicate with anyone with any subject. It is something you just learn from experience and you have to choose to apply it on your own. Everyone is going to fall down at times. But as long you get back up.”

Max looks over her shoulder at the church girl for a moment, then back at the wall. “You seem to do great with yourself.”

Kate lets out a soft laugh, “I don’t know if a person that constantly get targeted by bullying should get any recognition for amazing communicator. It takes two to communicate.” Kate runs her index finger, at the wrinkles on her teal colored pajama pants. “You can’t always doubt yourself. People that truly cares about you will give you the benefit of the doubt. Even if you say something remotely close to what they want to hear, they will love it.”

Max looks over her shoulder, this time keeping a steady eye contact with the church girl. She lets out a soft smile, but her face is partially obscured in shadow.

Kate gets up, and makes her way towards the brunette. “You said Chloe felt very touched right?” She refers back to the talk the both young pirates had outside the medical clinic, which Max even exposed Chloe’s personal secrets to Kate, as well. But she trusts Kate to be very open-minded, respectful and not quick to judge anyone. Kate smiles sunnily, “And you kissed her.”

Max gives a playful shocked face, but at same time, self conscious about it. “Ah…I’m still embarrassed about telling you that. We are so young...and we were kissing.”

Kate laughs, “Don’t be. Chloe obviously wanted it. I think it is real sweet.” She reaches out placing her hand onto Max’s shoulder, gripping it softly. “Chloe and Rachel knows you really care about them.”

Max looks at the delicate hand that is on her shoulder, that is slowly sending soft jolts of warmth into her body. She looks up dearly at the church girl’s eyes. _I never seen Kate this happy except maybe when I saw her in the hospital in the other timeline after I rescued her from the roof. Maybe I’m sleepy…_ “I hope you’re right, Kate.” She inches her fingers closer, until it makes contact with Kate’s hand.

Kate gently interlocks her fingers with Max’s. She dips her head, so she is at the same level, hovering above Max’s shoulder. “I will help you and guide you through anything.” Kate didn’t want to speak directly about the mourning of Chloe and her parents.

Max nods her head, and her eyes drops down. “You’re an angel, Kate. I just hope there is someone like you for Rachel.” She closes her eyes, “I want her to know that I’m there for her, if she doesn’t have anyone else. I just wonder if I can do anything to help her, with the two moons up like this.”

“The two moons are still out?” Kate leans forward a little more to look at the sky. To her, she sees only one moon.

The brunette opens her eyes, “Yeah, it is. Only both me and Rachel sees it.” She relaxes her tense shoulder, admiring the beautiful glimmering sight. “Maybe we both are looking at the two moons together...right now.”

Kate nods her head, agreeing to the brunette’s words. She dips her face closer, as they both look out in the clear night skies together.

 

#### Rachel Amber

#### 101 Freeway

#### August 24th, 2016 6:25 PM

The road leading from Blackwell Academy is quiet this late in the day since it is a bit isolated from the rest of the town. Rachel speeds down the road, heading straight for their meeting place of the parking lot in Downtown with Chloe. She peers over, out of the window at the two moons still suspending in the air above the radiant sun, which is approaching the golden hour as it gets close to be swallowed by the horizon. Her eyes squint slightly, being reminded about the bad news that she discovered in the other timeline.

 _I wonder if Max have enhanced powers as well when this happens. She wanted to come over to this timeline. I really did want her to come over._ Rachel grips the steering wheel nervously, trying not to let her train of thoughts overwhelm her completely. _But I didn’t want her to see me for the person I really am in this timeline. I’m afraid I would get too curious, and ask Max to invade all the privacy of my own best friend. Damn...I’m such a coward. The want to know everything always ends up backfiring in the end._

She lowers the window slightly, to let the breeze in, to break the low humming of the ride, pushing cool jets of air to soothe the blond’s face. She looks down at her phone, resting on the cup holder. There is four missed calls and three new text messages from Maxine. She squints her eyes closed for moment, to relax her apprehensive mind.

 _Welcome back to this life._ She closes her eyes, again, for a little longer this time. Her tires swerves slightly over, rumbling over the pavement markers, as she readjusts the car back onto her lane.

 _Why am I even doing this? Why am I even trying to push this on, further? It’s all over. Everything. I guess we all are gonna die in the end, eventually._ Rachel glares back at her own reflection at the rear-view mirror, then looking distantly at the path behind her that leads to Blackwell Academy. _Maybe I should have just forced her to do it. To save her Chloe, then it’ll be all done. I've done my part for this fucked up universe._ She clenches the steering wheel with frustration, glaring down the road ahead.

Her phone rings from the cup holder. Maxine is calling again for the millionth time. _Should I pick it up? I don’t have anything good to say anymore._ Her eyes darts at the phone then back to the road. She lets the phone vibrate a few more times, rattling against the cup holder, fueling the irritation in the girl, before she finally picks it up.

“Rachel, where are you? You been ignoring me.” Maxine says immediately without any hesitation.

Rachel swallows to clear her throat. “Just going for a drive.”

There is a short silence, as Maxine is relieved to hear back from her best friend. “Are you coming home?”

“I’m heading to Downtown to meet up with Chloe.”

“Chloe? Rachel, please give the poor girl a break. Her father just died last night. Actually earlier today…” She corrects herself. “...She’s still mourning.”

Rachel mutters under her breath, “Not anymore…”

There is a short pause on the other line. “What? What are you talking about?”

“Maxine…” Rachel gulps her throat, interrupting herself, “...if you can change something in your past. What would it be?”

Rachel honestly didn’t really have anything else good to to say. Even if it includes giving confusing questions to her own best friend. There were many questions she had, whether or not it is best to ask her right before she is possibly putting her own life at risk.

Again there is a short pause before Maxine replies back, “Rachel, what are you talking about?”

Rachel raises her voice, frustrated, “Just play along with my game, like you used to back then…” Her voice trails off for a second, before she continues again with added confidence. “Would you like to be with your parents? Go to Blackwell Academy? Any regrets?”

Maxine lets out a soft sigh. “I don’t know.”

“Maxine, come on…Maybe new friends? Or tell me what is your favorite moment with me?”

Maxine lets out another sigh, not really liking what she is listening and what she has to answer to. “Uh…” She breathes into the phone uneasily, hesitating and stuttering. Each breath she blew into the phone, a sensation of uneasiness slowly expands in Rachel’s belly. “I…”

“Tough, huh?” Rachel exclaims boldly back, but her lips quickly presses together, quivering slightly. The longer the silence from Maxine, the lesser of a person Rachel felt.

There were many great moments between the two girls, but often they were close proximity to many other terrible and traumatic moments, like the constant bullying when they were kids, the abandoning of pursuing the dream of going to Blackwell Academy, and Maxine breaking apart from her parents.

“I don’t know if this is my favorite moment...,” Maxine breaks the silence, causing the curious blond to hold her breath. “The place we went to, in Garibaldi. Ghost Hole or something. These two guys kept loading us on drinks. And we even did karaoke together and sang that song with that awful nasally voice of a singer...what was it?”

Rachel bursts out a soft abrupt laugh, breaking her stern expression. “Alt-J...”

“Yeah that's the group. And then that guy was totally macking out on you.” Maxine sings a playful tone, “Popping my Rachel’s precious cherry.”

Rachel smiles, clarifying humbly, “We only just kissed.”

“First time kissing.” Maxine clears her throat, “Well, other than from me.” She lets out a mischievous laughter, causing Rachel to grin on the other line. “And he grabs your breasts, three times.”

“Two times.”

“Huh?” Maxine hums for a second, thinking about her incorrect answer. “Oh!” You can almost hear the light bulb appearing over Maxine’s head over the line. “Third time was me.” She snickers.

“Oh that’s right,” Rachel beams with embarrassment, blushing slightly.

Maybe that is what Rachel needed for now. Just some pleasing and memorable memories that can get her through the rest of the day, despite how petty or silly they were. Perhaps, living in the past is better than living in the grim future.

“Are you feeling better, silly girl?” Maxine asks in a playful way.

Rachel isn’t going to complain too much. Everything is going to change real soon, and her future again, remains unclear what is going to happen. Maybe she should see her best friend now. She will have to confront or talk to Maxine about between them. But same time, what can you really ask or say? Or what do you really want to know? Can’t ask someone to change the future for you, based on your own suspicions. Maybe Rachel is a coward. She didn't have a great life, but she still had a _life_. So maybe she just want to live the rest of her imaginative life before it ends.

“Thanks, Maxine.” Rachel nods, hiding the deep down inside feelings that’s silently tormenting her.

“To answer your earlier question…” Maxine lets out a rather relaxing sigh, like she is very eager to answer. “I feel life is too uncertain to have any regrets. If you think about how you could do something different in your past, it may just lead to something completely different. And you end up being a totally different person you wanted to be.”

Rachel’s face went stiff for a little bit, hearing Maxine’s words. “What if it is better?”

“Meh,” You can hear Maxine shrugging her shoulder. “I mean of course sometimes you look at the past you think about what you could have done better. Hindsight is 20/20 vision. But foresight? We never can be certain of our future. Not saying I’m the most perfect being. But what if I was a whining punk girl or what if I became a super shy girl, that constantly needs approval from other people? Not saying it’s wrong, but it just something I cannot fathom, as it isn’t _me_. At least the me, I know.”

Rachel presses her lips together, forming a smile. “I don’t know. I think I can imagine you being a cute shy quiet girl.”

“Maybe. But you know, it would be totally different dynamics. Hell, I may totally have different friends.” She lets out a sigh, followed with a short pause. “I think I just prefer being with you.”

Rachel glances at her phone, then back at the road. “You sure about that?”

“Of course, Rachel. You want to know what else I think about changing our past?” Maxine seems very focused on this topic, possibly sensing it is bothering Rachel.

“What?”

“We cannot always be living in the past. We are all bound to make mistakes and hit many bumps into our life. Eventually, we have to owe up and live by our actions and consequences. If you remove that, we lose that very feeling of being a human.” Maxine says it in a surprisingly sympathetic way. “No humans are ever as polished as we like to be. We are no saints or gods. But in the truest part of our heart, we all want to be selfish.”

Maxine seems very engaged in the conversation, and the hint about changing the past. _I wonder if she having second thoughts about believing my time travel powers. I don’t see why she would, but Maxine always been a person that play along with my ‘imaginations’, whether or not she believed it._ “You seem very into this, Maxine.”

“Maybe a tad. I did have a bit of a philosophical spew for a second there.” She lets out a laugh. “Sorry, if I bored you.”

“Yes, you did. I’m impressed. And no, I find it very fascinating.”

“I can get creative sometimes. Is there anything else, you like to talk about?”

“That’s about it.” Rachel’s eyes scan around nervously, pondering about something else on her mind. “How is Nathan?” _That was pretty random. I don’t even know why I bothered asking about the Prescotts. I just felt like something easy to transition into, away from what we were talking earlier._

“Umm…” Maxine is rather caught off guard with Rachel’s curiosity for someone she hated. “I think Nathan, and his sister were going to visit me. But both of them and their family been on the low key, lately. Or at least trying to figure what happened.”

“They're hiding? From what?”

“He won’t tell me. Maybe avoiding some of the publicity. I mean...A girl getting drugged at his birthday party. Along with someone gunned down from a mysterious person near their party.”

The Prescotts always been a mysterious family that seems to have a lot of powers, and a lot of responsibilities. It could all very well be just a series of unfortunate events that happened at or around a rich kid’s birthday party. “I guess big shots have to hide when it comes to that, huh?”

“Mm-hmm.” Maxine agrees, “But I’m safe now.”

 _Does she really feel safe, though? She did just get drugged by someone._ “Are you really, Maxine?”

She lets out a sigh, as you can sense the anxiety in her tone. “I’ll be fine. Just come home tonight, okay?”

 _I can tell she is still bothered but hiding it. Well things are going to change. Not that though...But I'll be by your side, Maxine._ “Sure. Stay safe Maxine. I’ll back home, tonight. I promise.”

“You sure you don’t want me to come out?”

“You need some rest Maxine, you had a long day. I’ll talk to you when I get back, okay?”

“Alright...Rachel. I’ll see you tonight. I love you.”

Rachel blows off a soft puff of air, her eyes closes for a heartbeat. She mutters, only little louder than a whisper, "I love you, too."

The phone call ends there, as Rachel continues down the road towards Downtown. _Maybe saving Chloe’s father is the satisfaction I need._ She looks at herself at the rear-view mirror. _Where I can finally look at the myself and be proud of who I am._

 

#### Rachel Amber

#### Parking Lot on 1st and Stillwell Avenue

#### August 24th, 2016 6:43 PM

Rachel pulls into an opened spot to park her car in the moderately full parking lot. There were far more signs of life this time around than her previous visit here.

She gets out of her car, curiously eyeing around her surrounding for the blond girl. The sound of tires rumbling on the paved road and conversations from nearby pedestrians help puts Rachel's mind at ease. Just the sound of company is soothing, as the last day Rachel has been fairly detached from reality with her powers.

 _Looks like Chloe isn’t here yet._ Rachel pulls out her phone from her pocket, disappointed to find her intact home screen, and it not cluttered with notifications of missed calls or text messages. She shoves the phone back into her pocket with slight annoyance. _Maybe I should just go without her, and get this over with._

She lifts her purse up, unzipping it, looking at the gun she bought from Callum. _I’m going to lose this gun, once I make the change. Maybe I should still buy it from him again for protection. Still don't know who drugged Maxine and murdered William. This time, I will actually buy an actual holster or belt for it, instead of stashing it in my purse._ She zips it back up, looking around cautiously to make sure no one is observing her. _Lets look around for some rifts, I can enter._

She holds out her hand, seeing at least two different rifts popping up in her sight, one is right beside this parked car. Still holding her hand, but not as high up to keep it discreet and not look like a total fool. She peers into the rift, seeing herself sitting right in front of Chloe at the truck bed, along with Maxine.

_This was the very first rift that I jumped into. This had to be about little over half a minute or so before the gunshots._

Rachel looks around a little suspiciously, seeing a few passersby but no one giving weird looks. Not like it matters at all what they think. But more importantly, still no Chloe.

“Well, time waits for no one,” she mutters to herself, entering the rift.

 

#### Rachel Amber

#### Parking Lot on 1st and Stillwell Avenue

#### August 24th, 2016 2:18 AM

Rachel appears right beside her own self, who sitting in the truck bed with Chloe and a sick, unconscious Maxine. Everything is frozen in time again, looking very eerie and lifeless. The surroundings has a swirling desolate feel to it with the empty parking lot, despite being in the company of these familiar looking mannequins. Glimpses of deja-vu coalesces with reality. _I would not like to be stuck in here._

She looks towards the alleyway, the one that her and Chloe sprint towards the gunshots, that eventually led to the demise of Chloe, and the body of her father. She dashes into the alleyway in her astral form, the sound of her shoes echoing against the paved concrete, adding to the bleak state of this world.

After traversing through a few alleyways, she finally reaches to the part where they found William’s body. There she finds him being confronted by two people, with a black car behind them. _There was a black car that raced across the street, I remembered. But I don’t think it is the same one._ One of the guy is a medium build guy, that seems to be little older than Rachel, standing right up to William. The person behind, is no other than Callum.

_Callum? What the fuck?!_

Rachel slowly walks right up to him, examining him closely. Her eyebrow lowers, closing her eyes as terror begins seeping into her body. _Fuck, who can you trust in this world? He was behind all of this? He sold me a gun, too. Which I won’t have on me, this time around._

She stands right beside him, to get a good view of the rest of the scene. _And I thought he was a decent guy, but I guess I never knew him at all._ She raises her hand, now channeling the time to move forward.

“Get the fuck back, hillbilly,” the other guy said to William.

William walks up to him, in a cautious manner. “I just wanted to know if you knew who is responsible for throwing that party around here. The noise was way too loud.” As awkward as it sounded, William is trying to hide the fact about Maxine getting drugged.

“Look at us, you think we would go to these fucking stupid party? Get lost, asshole.” The other guy walks back, passing right by Callum, and towards the back door of the car. It seems like this is the tail end of the conversation.

_Were these guys actually at the party? Or maybe waiting for someone to leave the party?_

Callum looks over her shoulder, with a surprised look, muttering under his breath, “Go around the other side, stupid.”

The guy ignores Callum's cautious advice and yanks the door open anyways. And rather quite a bit, almost like he purposely neglecting his warning.

“Wait, who is that?” William, all of a sudden becomes alerted and walks in a hurried fashion towards the car. Callum boldly blocks his advance, pushing him back. Rachel, from her current position couldn’t see who is in the back of the car, as just her eyes wander observing the confrontation.

“Relax...it is a chick we picked up.” The guy quickly pushes the door but not all the way closed. “Mind your own fucking business.”

“That is my daughter’s friend.” William shoves Callum to the side, approaching the other guy from behind him. “She’s been missing for a year. What are you doing with her?”

Rachel’s eyes widens from William’s words. _Dana?_ She walks towards the car to get a better view but she is distracted with Callum’s reaction. His eyes drifts off to the side with a gloomy face, fluttering his eyes closed. Rachel gives a shaky eye contact with him, slowly shaking her head, and knowing what is going to happen. _No, please..._

“What? No...” The guy spins around with his arms spread out, looking at William with a smug look, “Who’s your daughter?” The guy turns again in a relaxed way, and changes his mind, opening the door little wider.

Callum’s body flinches at the recklessness from this other guy. “What the fuck are you doing?”

William steps to the side for a closer view, “Dana… Dana, are you okay?”

Rachel finally walks up to the car, looking through the door. It is Dana. She looks very fixed up, with a lot of makeup, wearing a nice dress, like she is ready to go to a party or something. She also seem to have got her breast implants done, as Rachel scans down to her chest. _Either that or she hit some massive growth in a year span._ Despite all the cosmetic makeup, you can tell she looks a little miserable or sick inside, possibly spooked with this whole confrontation.

“Mr…” She interrupts her own whisper, not trying to give away his name.

The guy says in a forceful manner, “Dana, what is your friend’s name?”. Dana doesn’t fidget anymore, freezing in place and staring blankly at the guy. He pulls out a gun, pressing the cold barrel against William’s forehead. Dana gasps, as her body cowers from the menacing threat. She covers her mouth with her hands, sobbing softly through it. “Tell me, and I’ll let this fucker go.”

William ignores the barrel pointed at his head, giving steady eye contact with Dana, knowing he has made a mistake. Rachel, even though she is invulnerable to everything here, still feels the inadvertent intimidation that is filling her lungs.

The guy swiftly pulls out William’s wallet from his back pocket. “Look what we have here.” He fumbles through his wallet, with his other hand still pointing the gun at him. “William Price?” The guy takes a few paces back, “There a nice picture of you, three. A fucking hot wife. And that’s your daughter? Holy shit.” The guy’s eyes lift from the photo, and gives an arrogant smirk to the father. “Bet she has a tight pussy. Can’t wait to fuck her tight cunt, and cum all over her perky tits.” He howls in excitement, followed with a laughter.

William’s body twitches slightly at his remark, but other than that remained motionless.

“And there’s your address...I’ll get to fuck both your wife and your daughter, because Callum has an autistic dick,” he laughs.

William glares back, with his lips pressed thin, trying to keep his cool as much as possible.

_Shit, they know where Chloe and her mother lives..._

“Corbin, shut the fuck up.” Callum replies with anger, but he continues staring blankly forward.

_Corbin? That his name?_

“Well...I got what I needed. Goodbye, asshole.” Corbin cocks his gun, pointing it at William.

“No!” Dana screams out loud, grabbing everyone’s attention, temporary halting Corbin. “Callum, please stop him. Seriously, you guys can’t be doing this.”

“Callum, knows what we have to do...that’s the order.” Corbin looks back at William, with a prideful smile.

Dana leans forward, to look at Callum who is still staring blankly. Flustered, she mutters softly, “What?”

Using her powers, Rachel lunges forward, knocking Corbin’s gun away, sending it crashing to the ground.

William charges forward tackling Corbin, both bodies crashing straight into the hard, concrete street. Dazed for a moment, William mounts on top of him, winding up and connects a unsteady punch to the face. He throws his second punch, but it misses as Corbin quickly feigns sharply to the side, throwing William out of balance, causing him to falter.

Corbin quickly reaches for his knife from a holster underneath his shirt, and very swiftly jabs it several times into the waist of William, as fresh blood coats down onto both of them. William's body flinches in an agonizing muffled scream, toppling away to the side. He crawls away desperately, grabbing at his side, as a low gurgling voice rumbles out of him.

Rachel looks on helplessly, in horror of the bloody mess, and the helpless face of William.

Corbin gets up confidently, brandishing his bloodied knife for moment. He quickly flips William over, and punches his knife into William’s chest, then he pulls it out sharply, and repeats it several times. Each subsequent stab, William’s body jerks up, becoming less and less, until his body remains completely settled down, with blood seeping out his body. Then finally his head lays to rest to the side.

Corbin lets out a loud maniacal laugh, “Oh man, that felt fucking good.”

Rachel collapses to her knees, glowering at Corbin, digging her nails hard into her jeans, clenching her jaws. _I was able to knock away his gun, but he was still able to kill him._ She turns her head at her former buddy. _Callum...he didn’t seem to be the one that directly killed William, but he didn’t stop Corbin either._

Dana looks on in terror, sticking her head out of the car. “W-W-William…” she barely squeaks out. Callum looks behind, noticing Dana. Both of them making contact, as Callum walks up gently pushing Dana back into the car. Dana slaps Callum hard in the face, sending sharp tingling pain across his face, but he didn’t respond with any anger, as he looks back with calm but sad face.

“Hey Callum! Want to hang this fucker up on the street lamp? Let the Prescotts know we are ready to fuck them up?”

Callum softly moves Dana completely into the car. “Leave it alone,” he replies in a frustrated voice to his buddy. “Lets just go.”

Rachel looks at Corbin, who is almost celebrating ontop of William's corpse. _These people hate the Prescotts family? I mean, that is no surprise as there many people in town that hates them. But no one ever dare to stand up to them._

“I thought you guys never kill anyone,” Dana whispers into Callum’s ears but with venom in her tone. “And you just murdered my friend’s father.” She glares at him, with her teeth clenched.

Callum stares blankly ahead, almost nonchalantly, at the building on the other side of the street, and slams the door.

 _Dana...Shit, fuck this…_ Rachel reaches out her hand, rewinding the time back a few moments back, but freezing time for a moment for her mind to settle down.

 _That must have been traumatizing for Dana to witness. To see your own friend's father ruthlessly murdered in front of you, and to be along for the ride. I have no idea what she is doing with Callum and Corbin. They had to kill him because he knew Dana. Or found out that Dana is with them._ Rachel walks to the car, and peers through it, seeing Dana putting her head into her hands. _She looks very stressed and sick. I don’t know if she drugged, but she looks terrible._

Rachel leans back out of the car, thinking back at how Dana and Kate helped Max in the other timeline. _Seems like she with the wrong people in this timeline._ She blanks out at the black tint of the car. _I just have to stop William from seeing Dana..._

She takes a step back, returning to the three men, holding her hand out to allow the time to flow forward.

“Look at us, you think we fucking go to these stupid party. Get lost, asshole.” Corbin walks backward, passing by Callum. William also takes off, walking backward and heading back towards where Chloe and Maxine is. Corbin heads back towards the back door of the car, with Rachel following closely behind him.

Callum looks over her shoulder, “Go around the other side, stupid.”

Corbin opens the door, but Rachel uses her power and quickly shoves the door back, slamming it shut. She peers over her shoulder, to make sure William is still walking away. He gives one last peek, then turns back, continuing full speed through the alleyway away from them.

Corbin pauses for a moment, then his eyebrow furrows looking at it for a moment. “What the hell?” Callum also looks on with a confused look. William is at a reasonable distance where he wouldn’t see anything even if he turned around.

Corbin opens the door, as Dana leans out slightly, peering at figure walking away from her. Her lips pressed thin, with a sorrow look, but she didn’t say anything. “Move back... Haven’t you seen a hick before?”

William’s figure finally fades away into the darkness of the alleyway. “I can’t even see the guy,” Dana whines. “I think I’m feeling better. Lets just meet up with Mark and get this over with.” She adjusts her dress, as her top is starting to come down a little.

Rachel observes Dana for a moment. _I wonder if she recognized William. The street isn't the most well lit and the car tint is very dark, even from the inside._

The blond girl paces herself back through the alleyway then making a full dash back, passing William. _That seems too easy._ She looks over the shoulder, seeing her gain distance from the slow walking William, and the black car that is getting ready to leave. _Dana...I don’t think I can save you from those guys, though. But you seem okay if I do this...whatever you’re doing with them._ She continues sprinting down the echoing alleyway. _But those two people are not stable at all. Anything could happen later._

She reaches to the parking lot where everyone is, as she slows down. She holds out her hand, and rewinds everything she just did, before walking through the portal back to the present time.

 

#### Rachel Amber

#### Parking Lot on 1st and Stillwell Avenue

#### August 24th, 2016 6:46 PM

Rachel walks out the rift back to the bright lively parking lot, and the bustling downtown street. Sounds of cars in the distant and footsteps of pedestrians returns to warm up Rachel’s ears after her cold, dark time trip.

_It is easy to save Chloe’s father. But what about Dana? Should I talk to Chloe about it? Of course, she going to ask me to save her, as well. But how can I?_

Rachel looks around, making sure the place is identical to how she left it, and as expected, still no sign of Chloe. _How missing is Dana exactly? Is she kidnapped or she ran away from home? She is with Corbin and Callum, which are dangerous. Which isn’t good news. She seems safe for now, but she could be in harm later. Maybe I can talk to Callum about it later? Somehow..._ Rachel looks down at her purse, draping down to her waist. _Maybe I can buy his gun again, then threaten him with it? Shit, I don't know..._

Rachel reaches into her pocket, pulling out her phone. She lets out another sigh, seeing her phone is again absent of any missed calls from Chloe. She takes the initiative and calls Chloe, as she makes several small circles around in the parking lot before it goes into voicemail.

_Damn, still no Chloe. Maybe she is driving here._

Rachel looks up at the sky, still seeing the two moons. She holds out her hand, as the red flame emerges from her hand. _So with my enhanced powers, in the other timeline, I was able to rewind and fast forward, when I have an actual body._ She pulls out her phone again, observing the time. It is 6:49 PM. Then with her other hand in the air, as a wave of sensation tingles her hand.

 

#### Rachel Amber

#### Parking Lot on 1st and Stillwell Avenue

#### August 24th, 2016 6:54 PM

Rachel finds herself in the car, as the shapes finally converges to some conformity. Her mind completely disoriented, her entire body jerks upward, throwing the phone that was in her hand right up into the air, missing her own face by a few inches. The phone smashes right into the roof of the car, then crashes right back at her lap.

Her heart jumps inside her chest from the close encounter, causing her to quickly grasp her beating chest. _Holy fuck. That’s fucking dangerous._

She takes a deep breath, to reorient herself with her time and location. She reaches to pick up the phone from her lap, seeing it is 6:54. It has been five minutes, that she fast forward to. She swipes to get to the phone log to piece together this small absence of knowledge. There is a sent call to Chloe at 6:49 PM which was before the time warp, then another at 6:52 PM.

_This travel to the future is scary and confusing. It seems like I just continue on with my life as I would normally. So, did I actually talk to her? I have no idea, if it went into voicemail or not._

She calls Chloe again, her phone is ringing but it goes straight into the voice mail.

 _Damn it Chloe. I really want to ask some stuff about Dana, before I go._ She slams her hand onto the steering wheel, then gripping it firmly. She leans her head between her arms, giving a nice stretch. Then it hit her.

 _Corbin definitely must have stolen William’s wallet, having his address. Given the stuff he was saying, I wonder if Chloe is late because…_ Rachel gulps, as her face gets immensely tense. _Could Corbin and Callum be at their place right now…_

Rachel dips her head back up, peering in between the steering wheel. She gives several glances all around her, as all of sudden paranoia sends a cold chill into her spine.

_No...Chloe probably just on her way or not answering her phone because she still having dinner with her mother. That has to be it. I can wait a little bit._

She looks at her phone again. _It is 6:56 PM._

Her eyes drifts back up, again curiously looking all around her. _What if she isn’t on her way? And Corbin is…_ Rachel blinks rapidly, as a flood of dread washes into her body. She lets out a terrified cry, that is muffled by the closed doors and windows from any curious passersby. _Raping both her and Joyce, as we speak. And the more I stay in this timeline, the more they’re suffering..._

She angrily opens the door, slamming into the nearby car, putting a dent in it. Not caring at all to the damage just dealt, she steps out of it. "Fuck!" she shouts in frustration, yanking at her bangs. She hunches over, breathing heavily as many ill thoughts passing through her mind. "I-I'll save you, Chloe." She whimpers softly.

Gripping the hand in the air, a rift appears right next to her, then she walks into it.

 

#### Rachel Amber

#### Parking Lot on 1st and Stillwell Avenue

#### August 24th, 2016 2:18 AM

She returns again, back to that place for what seems like the tenth time where the three mannequin girls is sitting at the back of Chloe's truck. Like before, she sprints into the alleyway, while also allowing time to flow.

By the time she reaches to where the confrontation happened, making just in time, as Corbin approaches the back door of the car.

Callum looks over her shoulder, with a surprised look, “Go around the other side, stupid.”

Corbin opens the door, but Rachel runs right up to it, and shoves the door back, making sure William is walking away, unaware of Dana.

“What the fuck?” Corbin’s eyebrow furrows looking at it for a moment. _What the fuck?_ Rachel mouths mockingly in silence. _Fucking done!_

Excitement and adrenaline fuels Rachel as her legs make as long of a stride as she can, dashing all the way back, running way past William who is slowly walking towards the direction back to the girls.

When Rachel gets back, she sees her other self just finished the small intimate session, she had with Chloe, with both of them separated from each other.

 _Alright, time to enter my own body and officially change the future._. As she approaches her body, like before she can feel sensation of blood gushing through her nose.

Rachel jumps into her own body, taking control of it. Her body swaying, disoriented with her surroundings, and grabbing her nose, making sure it isn’t bleeding.

She turns her attention to Chloe who has a puzzled look on her face, “Chloe...” she smiles, waddling with her knees towards her, then knocking her backwards onto the truck bed with a hug. _She’s fine now. Her and her mother is fine. Callum and Corbin won’t mess with them._

So much excitement fills into Rachel, that she feels she’s about to explode from having too much joy. In addition to rescuing Chloe, she also saved Chloe’s father. _I’m so fucking glad, I decided to save William. Everything worked out even better than I thought._

Chloe’s eyebrow rises slightly in surprise. “Wow, this is kind of weird.” Rachel grins, not caring at all how awkward this entire scene is playing. “But sorry, I didn’t mean to...” Her voice trails off and she dips her down in embarrassment.

Rachel shakes her head, trying to reconnect herself with the conversation. “Mean to what?”

“You know, try and kiss you.” She pouts her lips, making a sad but cute kissing gesture.

_I guess when Chloe and I actually made out, I took control of my body to change the past. So the rift I entered is from the original clean state...where if I don’t intervene, it eventually leads to both William and Chloe’s death..._

Feeling even more bold, Rachel smiles leaning her face closer, “No...I wanted to as well...but just got a little shy for a moment.” She leans forward more, finally collapsing as her big chest brushes against Chloe's smaller but perky breasts. Chloe’s eyes darts down, focusing on the bumps that is trying to squeeze all the air out of her lungs, but not at all complaining.

Catching Chloe's not-so-discreet stare, Rachel smiles, slowly dips her face closer, while still looking deeply into her eyes, as she inches closer to her jawbone. She slides down to her neck, pressing her lips onto her neck. Chloe’s chin lifts up, as her eyes flutter closed, along with a soft moan escaping her lips. Rachel runs her mouth, softly nibbles at her neck, in a rhythmic motion. She can feel the soft repeated warm breaths that escapes from Chloe’s mouth, blowing right past her bangs.

Rachel pauses for a moment, hovering her head little higher. Chloe opens her eyes, filled with warmth, looking back at the bigger blond. They both stare deeply at each other for a moment, as they both let out a soft chuckle together.

Rachel reaches over grabbing Chloe’s wrist, as all of sudden her arm becomes covered in blood, with knife cuts. Rachel’s eyes shoots open in shock, looking back at the poor blond’s face, realizing that her hair also changed, to a shorter hair with blue streaks. Her hair isn't fully blue like the Chloe from Max’s timeline, the one that she saw dying in Blackwell Academy.

 _“Who would care about me?”_ Chloe’s voice cries as a faint echo, ringing into Rachel’s ear, and sending razor chills into her spine.

 _“I care,”_ Rachel’s mouth automatically moves beyond her control.

Rachel leans back, falling back onto her knees, as everything returns back to normal, with Chloe having long blond hair, and her arms is completely clean.

Chloe pulls herself up, so she is on her knees as well. “Rachel, are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”

Rachel runs her fingers through her bangs, squeezing her eyes closed for a moment. “Something like that.” _What the hell was that?_ She opens her eyes slowly, as her vision distorts again.

The other Chloe comes back again, with completely blue short hair, this time. She drifts her face close for kiss, closing her eyes. Rachel automatically shoves her away with her arm, as the punk girl’s eyes shoots open with mixture of embarrassment and disappointment. Her eyes drifts away, grasping at her shoulder nervously. You can see the tears hanging in the corner of her eyes, and her throat slowly tightening. She mutters under her breath. _“I’m sorry Rachel. Fuck...my father died, but I know it isn’t the same._ ”

Rachel’s mouth continues to move against her will, _“Yeah, at least you still love your father when he died. My father...”_ She snorts out a fake laugh. _“Fucking still alive, but I wish for him to burn in hell.”_

Chloe turns her head back, giving eye contact to the blond with her crystal blue eyes. Her mouth is slightly opened, as she chewing on her tongue with her teeth. _“I just want you to know, that you are my real angel. You saved me. You won’t leave me, like someone I knew. I love you with my heart, Rachel.”_ She leans forward, gently pressing her hand onto Rachel’s right leg, causing her to squirm.

“ _Shit…_ ” Rachel hisses, looking down and sees there is a large impressive red tattoo of a dragon on her right calf.

“ _Still itches huh? Will take a while, like my arm._ ” Chloe smiles, looking down at the long beautiful tattoo of a flower and a skull on her right arm.

Her vision flickers back to the grim dark night as everything returns back to normal. Rachel turns around, pinching her nose together, as she starts to smell the scent of blood coming.

 _Is this a vision of...me and Chloe in the Max’s timeline? No...I’m just having memories of the other Rachel seeping into my mind. Or is this a vision of my future? My Dad...what did he do?_ Rachel slowly falls backwards onto the truck bed.

“Rachel...are you okay?” Chloe hurries towards the poor girl, who is now curling up to a ball. “What happened?”

Rachel’s body is trembling, terrified from her visions. She is starting to see them more now. The differences between when she was younger and now, is they are starting to have more context to them now. _Did taking control of Rachel’s body in that timeline give me more visions now? Is there something I still need to change in this timeline?_

Rachel’s face turns towards the terrified girl that is looking over her. “Chloe...Did Dana have any issues with her parents?”

Chloe backs away slightly with the sudden change in subject, “No...Why?”

Rachel’s breathing begins to pick up, making it harder for her to talk. “When she got her implants, was there some fine prints that she had to pay someone back or work a certain amount of time?”

Chloe’s mouth drops opened, as she covers it with her hand. “How the hell do you know that?”

Rachel, still breathing heavily, flutters her eyes closed. _She doesn’t remember anything, since everything got reset._

Running footsteps approaches the truck, making Rachel opens her eyes, thinking it is William getting back much faster than she thought. Instead, it is Callum and Corbin.

All the warmth in Rachel’s face has escaped from the sight of those two men, “Chloe, watch out.”

Corbin pulls Chloe from behind, grabbing her neck, and dragging her off the truck bed, slamming her down the ground.

_How the fuck? Why did it change? How did they know we were here?_

Rachel springs to her feet, dashing across the truck bed. Corbin lets go of Chloe, throwing her straight into the ground, as Rachel leaps on top of him, causing him to lose his balance as he barely maintains standing on his feet. The blond girl digs her nails, clawing at his face and eyes, causing Corbin to let out a horrifying scream. He quickly slams Rachel hard on the ground, knocking all the air out of her lungs.

“Fuck, what you said, Callum. I’m going to stab this bitch,” Corbin pulls out his knife, and pounces onto Rachel, quickly punching his knife into Rachel’s side, repeatedly puncturing her waist and her rib cage several times.

Rachel lets out a blood curling scream, as her body desperately tries to shake off the attack. Her screams slowly became sobbing as Corbin pauses his stabbing for a moment to relish the moment and admire his creation of an anguished blond girl. He lets out a crazed laughter, dipping his face low, and licks Rachel at her neck, sending tingling chills into her body. Her cold face is paralyzed in shock. Corbin yanks on her jeans, unbuckling the button and undoing the zipper. He slips his index and middle fingers inside Rachel’s underwear, fumbling it downwards to her crotch and into her slit, and finally digging his nail hard into her sensitive flesh. The blond screams with muffled and shallow breaths from the punctured wounds, as her legs writhes from the excruciating pain. The rest of her aching body twitches from the pain, pushing more blood out of her body. He whispers to her ears, “I’m going to fuck you until you bleed to death from my cock.”

Then a gunshot rings the scene with its deafening sound, as a streak of blood ruptures from Corbin’s head, causing his body to topple off Rachel’s body in a clumsy fashion. Chloe lets out a scream, crawling backwards, and pressing her back against her truck, as a pool of blood of Corbin's creeps towards her.

Rachel’s ears continues to ring and her body twitching coldly and more freely with the absence of weight on top of her from the chilling razor pain from the knife stabs, and Corbin’s abuse. She whimpers as she grabs the pulsating pain, between her legs. Then suddenly she feels her body being lifted up, as her inner muscles contracts, furthering aggravating the sharp pain even more, making her send out another horrifying scream.

“No...put her down, please. You’re gonna make her bleed to death.” Chloe covers her mouth, crying.

Rachel’s head nods to the side, realizing it is Callum holding her, and he has his gun out, pointing at Chloe.

Her vision begins to become blurry, gasping her breath. “No...don’t.”

Callum squeezes his arm closer, pressing his warm face into her cheeks. “I won’t. I’m sorry Rachel. Can you rewind? Do it right now.”

She didn’t have anytime to even comprehend or question what he is saying. Her eyes flutter to the sides repeatedly, not fully aware of anything. She reaches out her twitching right hand, as a soft red flame emerges that briefly surrounds the area in front of her, but it quickly puffs out from her weakened state.

“Rachel…” Maxine pokes her head out of the truck bed, “Please stop Callum, you’re going to let her die.” She lets out an anguished cry to him.

Callum’s voice rings again, “I made a big mistake. You have to do it Rachel, you’re going to die.”

Rachel’s head jerks to the side, she grips her weakened hand with a small flame erupting again, as a rift appears to the side of the truck bed, right beside Chloe. “There...take me there.” Her voice rings coldly, lifting her limp and unsteady hand forward.

“To the side of the truck?” Callum hurries to the designated spot, carrying her cold, dying body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This was a very difficult chapter for me to write. There are many explicit materials, mainly the sexual violence. While I did my best to keep it very short, but same time enough to keep the characterization of Corbin. It is a first time of doing an "action/violent" sequence, so I definitely could use some practice on it more. I didn't want to make it too explicit, so I tried to neuter it as much as I can but enough to get the idea. In fact, I added the Kate/Max scene in the beginning to just warm my heart a little. :P
> 
> My intention for this chapter is to add a feel of Rachel and time travel. Where she is witnessing all these events, which may not technically happens, but it "still happens" for Rachel. Some of it will shape Rachel to a certain person, and also may plant some thoughts into her mind. Hence the chapter name. :P It is something I liked to explore, for the "PTSD" aspect of time travel. 
> 
> Anyways, hopefully this chapter isn't too harsh to read for you guys. I mean it is harsh for me to write, so I don't blame you. Again, my apologies! The next chapter I anticipate is going to be long one, unless I split it into two. It is going to contain some very heavy theme too, so I hope to do my best job on it on delivery. I'm going to give some ample trigger warnings about it cause even story boarding it is hard for me to do. We will see how well I write it... :P
> 
> If any writer interested in doing beta reading...maybe you can beta read mines and I'll beta read yours. I'm more than happy to do it, as long it is LiS-related. :)
> 
> Thank you everyone for keeping up with my story. Please drop some comments/reviews on what you think. Thanks!


	14. Night Under Twisted Grin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!!!
> 
> I actually end up splitting the chapter into two, because it got too long. This chapter will contains some very heavy themes. This may be triggering to some readers. I like to keep this simple, so I apologize ahead of time to anyone that is offended.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Parking Lot on 1st and Stillwell Avenue

#### August 24th, 2016 2:18 AM

This dark, barren scene never goes away, always coming back like the blue butterfly in the Blackwell restroom in the other timeline. The nearly empty parking lot flickers with spiraling shades of distorted colors. There were a few mannequins, devoid completely of life in this frozen scene. On the concrete asphalt, lies an unconscious Rachel, sleeping in this never-ending nightmare.

_“...reports of two confirmed deaths from the construction division of the Prescotts company, Bradley Amber and Samuel Taylor. The project has always been under controversy for the site on top of the ancient burial of the inhabitants that lived generations ago...”_

The television reports from the past echoes into Rachel’s ears, reminding the dark days of her past, and reliving it. Her eyebrows gently creases, slowly waking up from her deep slumber. “D-Dad?” The blond girl squeaks weakly hearing her father’s name, as the sound of the television starts to drown away back into a lonely cold silence. She rubs her eyes, lifting his body so she is sitting on the ground. Sluggishly, she turns her head, scanning her surroundings to get a bearing of where she is, as well as letting in the cold, hard reality.

_Where am I? Am I...dead?_

She blinks rapidly to try instill some life back into her body, when all of a sudden a sharp pain kicks into her torso. She shrieks, hunching forward and grasping at her side, as her loud groan sharply turns into a hiss. _Fuck…_ She opens her eyes wider, observing her body as there are no wounds there, but the throbbing pain still lingers. 

She let outs loud grunt, as her other hand reaches down, clenching the area between her legs, where Corbin scratched her. Embarrassed, her eyes glances around quickly, making sure there's no one watching for her own modesty, and applying some pressure to ease the sharp pain down there. _I must be in my astral form._

Another grunt comes out of her mouth, transitioning into a panting as she slowly gets up, standing on both legs to view the frozen stand-still scene.

_I’m getting sick of this...Everything reset again, over and over. Nothing has progressed except…_

She looks down at her stomach, still holding on to it. _The pain and sensation is still there._ Glimpses of Corbin mounting on top of her body and reaching down her pants, rapidly rearranges into her visions. She covers her face, sobbing through her hands, fingertips scratching her bangs. She can still hear the sound of her zipper being undo-ed, and the sensation of his rough hand forcing itself into her tight underwear, and deep down it.

 _I still remember everything. Every fucking thing. I need to murder these two guys._ She sniffs her nose, clearing it. _What about Callum? He knows about my time travel powers. How the hell does he know that?_

She presses her body against the truck, her arms resting on the side of the truck bed, looking at the trio. _We’re so cute together...All of us._ Rachel blows off a puff of air, containing her laughter. _Time to do this once and for all..._ She glances at the other blond girl, smiling back at her on the truck bed. _For Chloe...for her father...and Dana…_ She peers at the sleepy brunette lying on her side. _...and my dear Maxine._ She looks up at the two pulsating moons that is still hovering in the night sky. _Then I’ll go to the other timeline, and save Chloe for Little Maxi._ She smiles at the moons for a bit, whispering softly to it, “We’re all going to be happy.” She continues gazing at the two bright lights in the sky for a little bit, her lips pursed, as a cold hollowing feeling creeps into her chest, causing her to hold her breath for a moment. Several thoughts races through her mind, as she looks at the alleyway in front of her, the direction to end this nightmare. She begins walking towards it to break away from the crushing thoughts in her head.

Her walk gradually turns into a sprint, as her mind hones in more towards the objective, again, letting the time flow forward like before. Like she’s on auto pilot, getting ready to reenact the scene to starts off the chain of events to save William. Arriving at the scene, Rachel briefly glares at Corbin, the one that assaulted and almost murdered her. But for now, she will resists the bubbling anger inside her, as she remains focus on the task at hand. She shoves the door again, to prevent William from seeing Dana, with everything going exactly the way before. She races back to the parking lot to where herself, Chloe and Maxine were.

Before she enters her own body, she freezes the time again, to give herself a moment to think about what she needs to do.

She turns her head around looking at the quiet main road. _I believe those two were walking this direction._ She crosses her arms, beginning to walk in small circles on the sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot. _But Callum, he knows about my time travel power. Does he know how to rewind time, too?_ More thoughts begin to pour into her head, thinking about the complications. _He did seemed apologetic. But still...I almost died. They have guns and weapons. And me? I just have this dinky pocket knife. Time travel won't help me with this._ She looks down at the side pocket in her jeans with pathetic eyes.

She stops her circles and walk towards the street, peering to the right, which is the direction of the road that leads towards the location where Callum and Corbin is.

 _I still don’t know if Callum is an enemy or not. But Corbin is definitely going to pay for what he did. If Callum killed him, just to save me...just maybe cross him off the list, for now._ She leans to the side, getting a better view of further down the street. _Maybe if I drive my car down the road, and then make a turn right there…_ Rachel makes a few strides on the road, observing the opening to the road. _I just have to jump the sidewalk, but that’s where Corbin and Callum is at. Then maybe I can run Corbin over with my car before he can react._

She nods her head slowly, acknowledging the plan as it becomes more clear in her mind. _Would it be called attempted murder, though? He still has a firearm, and maybe if I knock him onto the ground hard to wither him down, then proceed to beat the fuck out of him._

She closes her eyes, as some anxiety twists some knots in her stomach. _He still has a gun, I have to remember that._ She opens her eyes, glancing at the two moons still in the sky. _My powers still strong right now, I better do this quick. I need to get ready to rewind if it doesn’t play out the way I want._

She walks back towards the truck bed, standing beside herself. She takes one final deep breath to calm her nerves. _This is it._ She enters her body, and that familiar scent of blood gushes into her nose.

Her mind still focused and her heart pounding hard, she doesn’t feel as disoriented this time, immediately crawling towards the other blond. “Chloe…” she wraps her arms around her, bringing her head close. She whispers softly, “Take care of Maxine. I’ll be right back, okay?” She plants her lips warmly and gently, onto her forehead, then slowly pull her head away.

Chloe blinks rapidly back with her wary blue eyes, almost stammering in silence. Then she reaches in, running her soft hand on Rachel’s waist, causing the time traveler to flinch. “Sorry!” Her voice rises sharply for a brief moment, with care and sympathy. “Does it hurt?” she adds softly.

Rachel looks down at her the girl’s curious yet cautious hands, then back into her blue eyes. “No...I’m fine.” _There is pain there, but I know it isn’t real. And she shouldn't even know about it..._

Chloe’s eyes widening, shrugging her head in confusion and almost disappointment. “...Huh…” she mutters quietly to herself, brushing her forearm against her nose.

_This is different...I must have re-winded her memories too, earlier. When Callum carried me to the rift, I wasn’t really aware of what I was doing with my powers, other than desperately opening the rift. And here she is...knowing something happened to me in the previous timeline._

Rachel lifts up her legs, as she carefully hops off the truck bed. “I’ll be right back, stay here,” she mutters nonchalantly, as the rising mental fatigue is slowly draining what’s left of her emotions. Chloe squeezes her nose, and looks on with her flustered eyes behind her hand, nodding her head slowly.

Uncertain of what will happen next and possibly missing her chance, Rachel makes straight for her car with no hesitation, pulling her keys out of her pocket and getting into the car. Her heart beating quickly, and her rapid shallow breathing makes it increasingly difficult to focus. She turns on the car and pulls out of the empty parking lot, and onto the main street towards the direction of the meeting area.

Her car coasts very slowly on the road with its headlights off to keep it more hidden. She cautiously approaches where the buildings clears out to form an unconnected road, where Callum and Corbin’s car were parked. She wants to make sure William is good enough distance away, where he won’t immediately run back. _I can’t let anyone else get involved in this. It will complicate it._

She approaches the opening where she sees both menacing guys there, gulping to moisten her tense and dry throat. Corbin, is at the side of the car, with the door partially opened, saying something to Dana. Rachel pulls her car forward a little bit, carefully making a wider turn, so she has a more clear and direct route to knock Corbin without running into the other car, possibly hurting Dana. 

As Rachel approaches them slowly, she sees Callum catching a glimpse of her, sending her to a frantic panic. Rachel eases onto the gas pedal, accelerating steadily and smoothly towards Corbin, trying not to cause too much noise. Instead of alerting his buddy, Callum makes a quick dash the side, while Rachel’s car drives straight into Corbin, sending him flying back and landing hard. She slams on her brakes, swerving slightly, to not further run over him.

The back door of the car is dented from the impact, with a startled Dana inside. Rachel, ignores her and goes straight for Corbin who is on the ground, writhing in pain. She digs underneath his shirt, instantly reaches for his belt, grabbing both his gun and knife, and tosses them aside. “Wh-at...the fuck,” his cowardly eyes spirals, as he struggles to talk or make any noise through the immense pain he is in. Not too much blood, but he got knocked probably about ten feet, before crashing on the back of his head. Surprisingly, he is still conscious from the heavy impact.

Rachel stands up, making a short leap in place, leading with her right foot and planting it squarely onto Corbin’s crotch, immediately letting out a cry. She shifts her position, putting more of her body weight on that foot, grinding and twisting sharply with her flat shoe, feeling every single bumps underneath his pants. Her foot searches a little more south, sensing some more appropriate parts, signaling her to force down her feet with even more immense pressure. He lets out a horrifying scream, which pleases Rachel but her facial expression continues to glare down at his pathetic body. She gives a quick swift stomp with her other foot, onto his throat, which mutes his agony screams to more of a gagging. And then gives one more swift stomp on his crotch before releasing and stepping off his body. Corbin reaches for his crotch, his fingers trembling as he cups it in pain.

Rachel grins at the sight, as she casually walks to the side of him with a smug look.

Corbin whimpering from the torture, musters a weak and shallow growl through his teeth, “Fucking…”

Rachel leaps on top of his chest, mounting on top of him, with her knees securely mounted beneath his armpits. With her left hand, she reaches beneath his jawbone, rooting his throat down to the ground. With other arm, fist clenched, she makes few punches, soft at first, in the small window of his neck. Each subsequent punch, instilling more confidence in herself, as she ups the strength, continuing to pummel his vulnerable throat.

Corbin, couldn’t do much but gurgle out blood from his throat, and his body jerking from the immense amount of pain.

Rachel pauses, does a quick turn to see Callum is guarding the now, closed back door, where Dana is sitting.

With her distracted, Corbin reaches out and grab with his right hand at Rachel’s neck, attempting to choke her. The grip is very weak, however, as Corbin could barely even see the blond girl through his hazy vision. Rachel, with one hand confidently defends his petty grip, loosening it up. With her other hand, a red flame emerges from it, as she slowly rewinds Corbin’s position back, with his hands back to the ground, squirming to her flurry of punches. Making sure he retains his memories, for the growing amount of pain he has been accumulating.

She holds his position there for a second, freezing his position in time, as she gets her arms readied, pushing her weight back down. She unfreezes him and begins punching his head rapidly. Aiming dead center on his face, targeting his nose, with more and more blood coming out of it. The more crimson she saw coming out of Corbin, the more it fuels her seething inner demon, increasing her strength.

Corbin starts to have less and less reactions from the beating, as his face is all bloodied and bruised up from the cuts, and blood seeping out the crevices of his face. So was Rachel’s knuckles, but the adrenaline kept her pain away as she continues to wail on him, until his body movement is reduced to nothing more than a twitch.

She stops, and gets up on her feet standing tall over him. As his body lays unconscious on the ground and completely bloodied, which ironically makes him look far more peaceful than twitching in pure agony. She spits on him, her saliva landing straight onto his face. _Fucker…_ She steps over him, and off to the side, and then gives a nice swift kick to the side of his head, as it just rag dolls from the force with no other reaction.

She then glares at Callum, who is looking back with a tense, uneasy look. She begins walking towards him with confidence. Both her arms erupts into the red flames like some mutant powers, as Callum clenches his teeth, terrified. “Rachel?”

Rachel continues walking menacingly, with a stare of death. Callum, opens his jacket, causing Rachel to halt in her tracks, with her fiery hands readied. He unbuckles his holster, like Corbin, which contains his gun, tossing it aside, then he puts both of his hands up. “Look, I’m not going to hurt you.”

She resumes her strides, going right in front of him. Holding back her adrenaline she got from beating his partner into a bloody pulp, she asks him somewhat calmly, “Callum, who are you?” 

He glances back at the car window, where Dana is, then he steps a little further away from it. The car door must be locked from the inside, to prevent Dana from coming out. “Well...I guess there isn’t really a need to keep that a secret from you, anymore.” He continues walking a few more steps, trying to get far enough so Dana cannot hear him, before stopping to turn to the blond. “I’m a guy that lived in Long Beach...which is where you are raised from-.”

“Cut the fucking bullshit,” Rachel interrupts him, taking a few steps towards him to close the distance. “How do you have time powers?”

His eyebrow raises, looking back at her. “Do you know how you got yours? Cause I certainly don’t…”

Her eyes drift down, unable to answer his question. “I don’t know.”

“We do have something in common,” He put his hands behind his back, interlocking them, in a rather relaxed pose. “You’re Bradley Amber’s daughter, and I’m Samuel Taylor’s son. Sounds familiar?”

“Your father...also died during that construction incident working for the Prescotts?”

“Yes, he did. But I didn’t even know at the time. In fact, I don’t know much about my father at all. I just know my family was not close with him. Or I guess the family that raised me.” He lets out a soft sigh, “I was raised by my uncle in Long Beach.”

“So...maybe because we’re the children of the ones that got murdered by the Prescotts. We’re given time travel powers to take them down?” She says it with a cold tone.

He shrugs his shoulder, “Maybe. It could have been the spirits of the former inhabitants of this land, seeking revenge for disturbing their lands. Or maybe our fathers’ coworkers actually let them both die on purpose.” His eyebrow lowers, looking at the blond with concerned eyes. “Or maybe the both of them, killed each other.” Those words sends Rachel’s eyebrow furrowing in disbelief. “You just never know for sure, huh?”

Rachel turns her head to the side, about to shake her head in disagreement. “No, I think it just pure greed from the Prescotts family.”

“I can sense your father’s death affected you more. Not just mentally, but in your powers, as well. It is way stronger than mines. At the same time, it is why it also affects _you_ more.” He taps the side of his head with his finger, like a 'mental' hand gesture. He, then tucks his hands into his pockets, leisurely. “Maybe with your broken mind, _they_ think you’re more likely candidate to manipulate.”

Rachel scoffs softly to his insult, “Fuck you. What are you trying to say?”

“I mean…” He takes his hands out of pocket, putting them up again, in an apologetic way. “I can’t actually rewind time or do anything. But I retain my memories when you do it.”

“You retain your memories?” _His memories stays out of time, like us time travelers, or specific cases like Kate and Chloe?_ Her eyes drifts to the sky, pondering what he said. “Do you see the two moons, too?”

His eyes follow her into the night sky. “Yes, I do. And I also went to that other timeline, with you.”

“You did?” Rachel asks with a concerned tone, “Were you invisible and spying on me?”

Callum shakes his head, “No, I just entered my body of myself in that timeline. Against my own will. Apparently, I’m in Blackwell Academy.” He opens his mouth but pausing for a moment, thinking what he has to say. “I know we knew each other in that timeline. I have a picture of us in my wallet, when we were much younger. Not gonna lie, it is kind of cute.” He smiles, nodding his head, “I think you were very important to me.”

“Fucking bullshit,” she shakes her head with a disgusted smile. “Why would I know your punk ass?”

“I know you’re dead in that timeline. Were you...”

Rachel flutters her eyes closed. “Yes I am dead. And yes, I was taking control of a dead corpse before I re-winded time. Did you follow me in the past, too? Or I guess the past, in that timeline?”

He closes his eyes, nodding his head. “Yes, back in Long Beach?”

“You were in Long Beach, too?”

“Yeah...we both lived there in that timeline, as well.”

“Do you know how I died?”

He stares on in silence with a face of sorrow. There seems to be something bubbling up on his tongue, or maybe he is very unsure of anything in that timeline. “No. I was already disoriented with my own life in that timeline. I didn’t get much chance to find out anything. I just know you were in Blackwell Academy, because I had one of the memorial funeral service flyer in my room.”

Rachel gives out a fake laugh, “Just for some reading material?”

“I guess. So, what were you planning to do in that timeline?”

“I’m not going to say shit to you.” Her voice rises, as anger starts fueling her again. “You almost killed me.”

He presses his lip, and nodding in silence. “Yeah...I’m very sorry. I was afraid you were going to tell Chloe about Dana’s whereabouts.” He flutters his eyes closed, “I didn’t know. Or maybe I should have known. I’m very sorry I made you go through that.”

She shakes her head, not accepting his apology. “Oh I will tell Chloe.” He looks on straight into her eyes. Rachel continues, “In fact, I’m taking Dana right now.”

He puts his hands up, side stepping to block the straight path between the blond girl and the car. “Corbin is down. You should rewind all of this, so this never happened. You got your revenge.”

“Oh no. I’m fucking keeping this and taking Dana. You better step aside or I’m going to do what I did to your asshole friend.”

“Rachel, you have to calm down. You’re getting too cocky...Don’t get into matters that you shouldn’t be.”

Rachel casually walks past Callum and picks up the gun from his holster on the ground. She spins around and points his gun at him. “So…” She examines the gun for a moment, then points it back at him. “I don’t have your gun anymore.”

Callum raises his hand up more, “Are you really going to kill me?”

Her vision distorts as a voice of a young girl rings into her mind. A familiar voice. It is her own voice when she was a child.

 _“Look at the camera, Callum,”_ the voice in her head echoes with pure joy and innocence.

Her hand that is holding the gun grows unsteady, that she has to tilt it down and point it towards the ground. The little girl’s voice continues, _“I have to go. I can’t let Mommy and Daddy know about us. My time travel power will just be our secret, promise?”_

A voice of a little boy replies to her. _“I promise! And I think it’s very cute that you call them Mommy and Daddy now.”_

Rachel’s body feels weak, as she kneels down to the ground, planting the gun flat against it, as the little girl’s voice says one last thing. _“I’m a kid again. I’m finally alive again. No more of that awful life in Arcadia Bay.”_

She shoves the gun away, and both of her hands reaches to cover her face. _I don’t remember any boy back in Long Beach. This is the other Rachel’s memory, fusing into mines. The boy must be...Callum._

Callum walks towards the gun and picks it up, along with his holster. Rachel looks on with him with her confused eyes, as he puts the holster back on him. _In the other timeline, he must have been looking for her, but didn’t make it before she died. Or maybe...could he be responsible for her death?_

A quick chain of knocks from the inside of the car door, breaks the silence. Callum, quickly opens the door, enough for Dana to see Rachel kneeling on the ground.

Rachel lets out a sigh, looking at the beautiful red head. “Dana, are you okay?”

“Please don't fight anymore. Don't know what beef you have with Corbin, but Callum is a very nice guy. Who are you?” Dana looks on with flustered eyes.

“Dana, are these two guys doing anything to you?”

“No...they have been helping me. Well...at least Callum is nice.”

“Dana, Chloe and everyone has been looking for you.”

“I know. I just has some bills to pay.” The redhead looks at guy who is glancing away nervously. “Callum, has been helping with me by getting jobs with these various photographers. In fact, meeting some guy tonight with some interesting fetishes, but talented photographer. And he's very handsome.”

“Dana, that’s enough. Stop talking.” Callum interrupts her with a stern voice.

Rachel looks at him for a second, then she creeps in closer to Dana, “You don’t have to worry about your bills-”

Suddenly, Callum shoves Rachel from behind, hard and flat against the car door, knocking the wind out of her. He grabs both her arms, pressing it in front of her and against the car. He snarls into her ears, “You can try what you want. I’m not going to let you continue this.”

“No…” Rachel cries. Her sight spiraling everywhere from the huge impact, as she struggles to wiggle out of Callum’s strength. All of a sudden, her visions flicker for a moment, with her arms tied up with duct tape. The piercing and ripping sound of duct tape being unraveled forcefully, echoes into her ears, sending chills into her body.

“Callum, what are you doing?” Dana stares in shock, and her voice is muffled to the blond girl.

Rachel’s breathing increases, “Callum...let go please...Now!” Her breathing becoming increasingly anxious and shallow.

“No, you’re just going to-” Callum’s voice is no longer audible as Rachel begins shivering. It is almost like she is mumbling to herself, then all of a sudden she couldn’t hear anything anymore.

Seeing how out of it she is, Callum releases her, but Rachel still has her arms pressed tightly together, as if they are bounded.

There is a cold prick that nicks Rachel, causing her to quickly squeezes her shoulder blade against her neck.

A wave of fatigue sweeps through her entire body. Her sharp breathing becomes more and more shallow. Then it finally pauses, and her body relaxes and pass out.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Hospital – Room 304

#### August 24th, 2016 5:02 AM

Her body jerks up from the hospital bed, sharply swallowing for air. The grogginess slowly slips out of her body, her heart beating loudly pushing more oxygen into her slowly awakening body. _What happened?_ She squeezes her eyelids closed, rolling over to the side to shields herself from the constant bombarding of blinding fluorescent light over her and to wet her eyes from the dry air.

She lets out a disappointed sigh, as she regains more and more of her senses and wits. Her eyes dips down scanning her body, realizing she is in a hospital gown, and she is hooked up to an IV machine. _Dana...Fuck, Callum. Did he...knock me out? Or did I just collapse? I felt I got hit from behind._

She drapes her head down, resting her warmer face onto her hands, letting out an exhale. _I’m seeing and hearing things more and more now. Ever since I went into that timeline, living in that Rachel’s body and mind. This time I really felt something knock me out...I can see and hear them, what if I can feel them, too?_ Her eyes glance curiously around the room, not finding a clock at least in her plain sight.

The door slowly creaks opens, until it is fully opened. A familiar face comes walking in.

“Oh you’re awake. You were really having a nightmare, earlier. So it is nice to see you’re up. Hi, Rachel. My name is Ted, I’ll be taking care of you,” he takes a few steps into the room, before stopping to write something on the clipboard in his hands.

Rachel’s nose flares and her eyebrow furrows at the sudden sight of the nurse, who touched and groped Maxine in her sleep in a different timeline. Her fingers grasping tightly on the blanket on top of her, as if she trying to shield her vulnerable body from his deviant eyes. “What the hell are you doing?”

The male nurse blinks his eyes slowly, seemingly distracted with his clipboard. “Excuse me?”

Rachel bites the inside of her lips, her body fuming. Instead of exploding on him, she does not want to say another word. She reaches her hand up in the air, and a rift appears right beside her, just like the one that appeared in Maxine’s room in the previous timeline. She becomes mildly distracted with the bandage wrapping on her right hand. _That’s right, my knuckles were bleeding from the punches I gave to Corbin._

Ted stares on with a silent, shocked face as the blond wiggles herself closer to the edge of the bed. The IV is still connected to her, but fortunately the rift is real close to the bed. She does a quick tip of her nose, circling around the rift a little bit, to see herself in it before passing her body into it.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Hospital – Room 304

#### August 24th, 2016 4:22 AM

Her vision whites out completely for a second, then the contrast of the scene begins to materialize, seeing her own self, sleeping but not quite peacefully. Despite the blanket is tucked in snug and firmly, you can see her fingers were trembling beneath it, her eyeballs were rolling underneath her eyelids. Her mouth were trembling, or possibly mouthing something inaudible.

Rachel stares on with a frown, showing pity to her own self. _So I blacked out...What was I dreaming?_ She dips her head, to get an even closer look, and possibly hear anything she is saying. There were some tears at the corner of her eyes, not sure if it were something more natural or if she is actually crying. Still, tucking her bottom lip in, and her throat tightening at the sight of herself like this. _Why are you crying?_

Rachel’s eyes drifts to the side, but leaning her head closer to her. She starts whispering to her, “Do you feel alone?... Do you feel lost?” The sleeping girl tosses slightly, her eyebrows twitching. Rachel softly shakes her head, “To be honest...I don’t know who I am, anymore. Or who I will be, tomorrow morning.” 

She closes her eyes, as her growing insecurities builds up to her stomach. From everything she discovered about her own future in the other timeline, and the dark imagery and haunting voices that is twisting her minds. Her near death and sexual assault with Corbin along with her black out. Who can she really trust, now? Her head is filled with menacing shadows and venomous rage. She has saved Chloe’s family, yet she doesn’t feel like a hero, at all. Not because she is unable to save Dana, but what does it matter in the grand scheme of everything?

Rachel opens her eyes again, with a tear dripping off her eye, and into the abyss. With red eyes, she softly whispers through her thick throat, “Let’s find out together. Okay, Rachel?” 

The door opens, with Ted walking into the room. Rachel doesn’t turn to acknowledge him immediately, as he just lurks a little off in her peripheral vision.

“Now, what’s the matter child?” He walks right up to the bed, passing right through the astral blond. He loosens the secured blanket off the sleeping beauty, pulling down the top of the blanket, enough to reveal her chest. His eyes tracing along all the curves and bumps on her body.

Rachel finally looks at Ted, observing what he is doing to her sleeping body. Her lips is pressed as there is many other things racing in her mind, instead of what she is going to do with this sexual creep.

The male nurse casually reaches his hand, doing a test by brushing along her chest, cautiously eyeing the sleeping girl’s response. Her heavy breathing provides audible cues for his safety and cue to freely indulges to his sexual desires. His confidence increases as he begins cupping both of her breasts in his hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. A moan escapes his mouth, as his breathing quickens at the feeling of the suppleness of her curves.

He brings his face close to her chest, giving a quick peck at each of them. Instead, of quickly pulling his head away, he observes a tiny bumps on her curves, through her gown, that marks the treasure in his eyes. Her nipples. Wasting no time, he sticks out his tongue and begins caressing it with it. He wraps both of his lips onto them, and begins sucking on it.

Rachel who has kept her calm so far, runs her knuckles against her chins, pondering what to do now, as Ted’s moans become louder and louder. _I want to strangle this asshole._ She thinks for a moment, so far her body has been abused by Corbin. The feeling of him forcefully ramming his fingers down her underwear, and digging his fingernail deep inside her until it bled. Not to mention the feeling of a cold blade punching into her. And now, there’s Ted, who also touched Maxine in the other timeline, and possibly even in this timeline. Resentment and anger continues to build within her. She turns to her sleeping self, then a thought springs into her mind. _I don’t think I’m on any anesthetic. Maybe I can slap myself really hard then jump into my body._ She gets in closer with her hand out, and gives a swift, hard slap with it.

Her face jerks to the side, but recoils back up, with her eyes opening, which immediately causes Ted to pull away, abandoning his pleasure. Rachel, quickly jumps into her body to take control of it. The scent of blood almost chokes Rachel, as lets out a soft gasp, stirring fully awake. Slightly disoriented as her body is far more groggy than before, she sees Ted, who is pulled back slightly, in shocked but his hands is innocently tucked away from her body. He stammers with his shocked eyes, unsure if he is caught in the act.

Rachel’s eyes scans down, on the noticeable bump in his white pants. Without hesitation, she reaches for it with her fingers, clenching it, then yanking it, sending his body and suffering face close to hers. She continues to squeezes his hardness, and with her other hand, she pinches his chin, keeping it close to her. Through the sluggishness of her body, she whispers with a stern tone, “I doubt you were getting hard from looking at your clipboard, huh?”

The male nurse freaks out, begging, trying to swat her away from him. “Please...stop.”

Rachel lowers his grip from his chin, to around his throat and squeezes it. “Fuck you. Go burn in hell, you dirty shit.” She tightens the grasp, as Ted’s eyes widens, gagging. His arm flails around, but able to press the ‘Need Assistant’ button off to the side of the bed to summon help from the lobby.

She continues choking him, as his face becomes more flushed, as you can see some life in his face, slowly diminishing away. The thought of what he did and what he did to Maxine, combined with Corbin fuels her anger. An older woman nurse comes in quickly, breaking the scene, “What’s going on?”

Rachel releases both of her grips, as Ted pulls away coughing and gasping for air. He runs past the other nurse without any sound other than his hacking.

Rachel feels the urge to chase him down but she is tied down with this IV needle, still providing hydration into her veins. She vents with rage to the nurse, “That fucker was touching me while I was sleeping.”

The nurse’s mouth drops open, completely shocked and speechless. “Really?”

She snaps at the poor old lady, “Take this fucking IV off me, now!”

The nurse hops in the air, startled by her threatening tone, but quickly follows her order. She hurries to the nearby tray to grab a cotton ball from the jar, some sterile gloves, and a bandage wrap. She puts on the gloves, and proceed to remove the needle from Rachel’s arms, applying the cotton ball to prevent the bleeding, and wrapping the bandage securely around her arm. “There you go,” she says quietly.

Rachel pulls her arm away in frustration, again scaring her. “Can you hunt that shithead Ted down for me?”

She nods her head, raising her hand to have her settled down. “Okay. Please let us handle it.” She walks out the door, with a familiar face on the other side. The nurse does a quick glance back, “Is she your friend?”

Rachel’s fierce expression softens at the sight of a friendly face. She squashes the urge to continue to abuse the nurse, instead nods her head, giving permission.

The nurse signals the curious blond girl to come in, then walking past her. Chloe dashes right by towards Rachel, who is sitting upright on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay?”

“Chloe…” Rachel lets out a sigh of relief, extending out her arms, welcoming the warm embrace of the friendly blond. “I’m so happy to see you.”

“Me too,” Chloe smiles, releasing their hug, but still holding hands.

Rachel’s eyes drift to the direction of the opened door, “That guy was touching me...while I was sleeping.” Despite how angry she was earlier, she didn’t want to describe any more in details to continue the humiliation. 

Chloe’s face went numb, her mouth dropping down. “That’s beyond fucked up. I’m so sorry, I wish I watched over you while you were sleeping.” She squeezes their interlocks fingers more, looking over her shoulder at the opened door, then back at her friend. She is about to say something, then she examines down at her side, gently brushing her side with her soft fingers. “This part is okay, right?”

Rachel dips her nose down, watching the loose fingers running down her side. “Yes, you remembered?”

Chloe looks on with blank stare and flustered eyes. “I have no idea. I remember you tried to fend off a guy for me. That guy stabbed you and reached down your pants and…” She flutters her eyes close for a moment, and squeezes the top part of her nose. “Fuck! But then something else happened. Then all of a sudden, you were okay and you took off. And my nose started bleeding.” She opens her eyes, "Please tell me that didn't really happen."

_Seems like nose bleeding is a trend. As if you had a brain aneurysm, because it is unable to comprehend something that doesn’t logically make sense._

Rachel nods solemnly, “There is something I need to tell you. It is about what I can do. But maybe later. What happened to me after I left you?”

“I got a phone call from you. Or rather Maxine’s cell did. And some guy was on the other line. He told me I need to call the cops and come in front of this coffee shop to meet you, which wasn’t far from where we were.”

Rachel nods her head to keep continuing.

“We saw you unconscious on the sidewalk and your car parked on the road.”

Rachel shrugs her shoulder for her to keep continuing. “And?... Is that it?”

“That was pretty much it. The police said they found some blood stains nearby, and they’re investigating it.”

Rachel clenches her fist, “Fuck! He dragged Corbin’s body away.”

_I guess Corbin may know too much stuff for Callum to let him get arrested. But still, doesn’t seem I have accomplished much if he got away with it. After all I did to take him down for revenge...I really wanted him arrested._

“Who’s Corbin?”

“He’s the guy that stabbed me, and dug his fingers into me.”

“Oh my god.” Chloe covers her mouth with a frightened expression. “Oh shit. So that really did happened? How?” Her abrupt adorable puppy dog looks, warms Rachel’s heart. “I mean I saw it, but I just wasn’t sure if I was seeing something or what.”

Rachel couldn’t help but smile at the lively warmth that Chloe gives out. “You’re a very sweet person.” Chloe’s expression relaxes, becoming more neutral and a little confused with the sudden change of tone. Rachel runs her fingers along the tall blond’s hair, pulling her face closer for a kiss, sucking on her bottom lip. Chloe is a bit stunned but she closes her eyes, letting a soft moan queue up in her throat, until given permission when Rachel’s lips finally releases it. “When I get out the hospital, show me your VR porn collection in your room.” She grins, winking at the nerd.

Chloe stammers for a moment. “Wh-what? What VR porn collection?” Her tone is defensive, but she concedes quickly, “How did you know?”

Giving another wink, “You dirty geek. I like that.”

Chloe gives a nervous smile, as blood suddenly rush to warm her face. “I have a feeling this is related with the things you going to tell me later, huh?”

Rachel nods her head, “Yep. I’ll tell you later. Where’s Maxine?” She looks over at the opened door.

“Maxine is actually next door.” Chloe gently grabs the hospital patient’s hand and pulls her up from the bed. She kicks a few hospital slippers for Rachel to dig her feet into to wear. “She woke up not long ago, too.”

Chloe wraps her arms around the broken blond girl and guides her towards the door. They both stopped as Rachel’s arm also wraps around Chloe’s body, as they both look at each other for a moment, exchanging a sunny smile.

“Let’s go,” Chloe whispers softly, as they both step into the bright hallway.

The hallway is quite a bit brighter than the room, due to the much greater number of fluorescent lights, combined with the generic, texture less, white washed walls. There weren’t too many staffs around for this late in the night, as there were some empty counters and desks. But all the lights were utilized, disguising the time of the day. Rachel’s eyes squint for a moment trying to adjust her eyes, as a voice grips her attention.

“Well, if it isn’t the person that robbed my child.”

She looks up, and sees the source of the voice. It is Maxine’s mother, Vanessa sitting at the chair against the wall. Right beside her, is Maxine who is in her hospital gown, looking very drowsy and sleepy, hugging the guy right next to her, which is Ryan, her father.

Rachel’s heart stops for a moment, her pupil dilated. Seeing these two familiar faces sends a gust of razor cold winds up her body. Images from that dinner bleeds into her vision for a moment. The dinner where Max and Chloe dressed up as pirates in the other timeline, and bonding with their parents. A cold unsettling guilt bubbles inside her.

“This crazy bitch...” Ryan glares at the blond girl, shaking his head.

“Mom...Dad...” Maxine tugs on her father’s tense arm, then her eyes slowly drifts towards her best friend, who is looking back at her with disappointed eyes.

“Nothing to say, huh?” Vanessa looks on with a smug look and full of despise.

“Vanessa, save it for another time,” says William, who is sitting on the other side of Ryan, trying to calm them down. He survived the whole ordeal. After everything Rachel went through, was ultimately to save this person.

The mother crosses her arms, “Yes, Rachel. Are you sure you have nothing to say?” She looks at her husband, then back to terrified blond girl. “You seem so smart, looking up all these laws about legally moving out parents’ home at age eighteen. You running away from your own mother. And how heartbroken she is to live all alone by herself. Not a single call or anything, other than that pathetic excuse of a good-bye letter. And you indoctrinating Maxine to do all these things. Removing her from our phone family plan, and changing her number. Opening a brand new bank account. Wow, you’re so smart and independent. Trying to make my Maxine all grown up.” She lets out a fake laughter, glaring at her own daughter for a moment.

“Mom…” Maxine says quietly, still feeling groggy and sick.

Chloe steps forward, still holding onto Rachel. “Mrs. Caulfield, a male nurse just sexual assaulted her, please cut her some slack.”

Vanessa uncrosses her arms, throwing it up in the air for a moment in frustration. “William, tell your daughter to not hold on to that evil whore. That is very disgusting. I forbid my daughter from doing it, and you should too.”

“Chloe…” William interrupts with concern for Rachel, “Seriously?”

Vanessa snarls back, taking control again, “I don’t give a shit about what the fuck happens to her. The same whore that wasted over a decade of my baby’s life. Pretty much her entire life. How is that not a fucking crime?“ Her teeth is clenched, looking like she is almost out of breath, as her lungs is filled with anger instead. “I remember...finding Blackwell Academy and other schools' brochures are torn up in my trash. Photography classes. Art classes. Everything all gone. Thanks to all your _visions._ ” She laughs likes a maniac. “Are you fucking kidding me? Where does my baby work now? Tell me Maxine…” she turns to her daughter. “Where do you work at now? As a fully developed independent adult.”

Maxine rolls her eyes, as she pushes herself off from her father. She crosses her arms nervously, avoiding eye contact from everyone. She glances at Rachel for a moment, then back down.

“Still nothing to say huh?” her mother shakes her head, in pure disappointment at her own daughter. She turns her attention back to Rachel, “I heard you worked at Two Whales Diner. You must work in the late shifts though, or don’t work enough hours like the loser you are, because we never saw you there.”

Rachel clenches her fist, trying her best to stop this onslaught against her. She lets go of Chloe, and squeaks across the hallway, “We both have done well ourselves…”

Vanessa replies with sarcasm, “Oh...have you? My baby who I haven’t seen in almost three years, is drugged up in a hospital. And you...I don’t even want to know what the hell happened to you. Actually, no sane person in this world would give an actual fuck about you.”

Chloe interlocks her hands together, putting it in front of her heart, as if she is begging, “Mrs. Caulfield, please it isn’t any of their faults.”

Vanessa pauses for a moment, her facial expression lightens up. “You’re so sweet, Chloe.” A smile emerges from her face, then turning towards her daughter. “Maxine, if you had a real friend like her, you would actually be better off in your life. She’s so beautiful. I’ve only met you for less than an hour and I can already tell you’re a true angel.” Her smile disappears, looking at Rachel, “Everything this person… is not.”

Rachel’s lips tremble at the awful but truthful words that is coming from the mother’s mouth. She takes a step forward, getting closer to them. _Just like in the other timeline, huh? Chloe and Max..._

William puts his hands up, “Listen, Vanessa, that’s enough.”

Rachel presses her lips tightly, looking at William. Her eye brow furrows with disgust, and she boldly mutters, “I should have let you die.”

He stops, turning his body around to face her. “What?”

“Was it you that told Maxine to call her parents?”

Confused, William tries to explain to justify his reasons. “Rachel...Your best friend got drugged and possibly...raped.”

The last word from William makes Maxine and her family flinches, as they’re still waiting for the result of the test.

“She is not raped. I know that.” The blond girl replies coldly.

“See?” Vanessa yells with anger. “This is the type of shit we have to put up with. She's so dumb, but she thinks she knows everything.”

Rachel keeps her eye contact with William. “You’re going to die. Your fucking stupid ass is going to get shot to death.” There is not a single trace of sympathy left in her heart, as she isn’t going to put up with this terrible outcome of events due to the survival of this person.

William looks on in horror from the venomous words coming out of her mouth. So did her daughter.

Maxine gets up from her seat, sluggishly drags her tired body towards her best friend. Everyone watches the two of them in silence. When she got close, she mutters calmly, “Rachel, just take it easy for tonight. We will work something out together with my parents.”

Rachel laughs, shaking her head. “Fuck your parents. They’re fucking going away.” She glares at Chloe. “After I let your father die.” Her heart is pumping full of anger and bitterness, that she cannot even calmly talk to the two only people that even care about her in this world. Because there is no reason, too. This timeline is going to burn, and nothing will matter.

“Rachel…” Maxine steps forward, getting right up to her best friend’s face. “Seriously, this is not cool at all. This is my first time seeing my parents in three years, and I’m actually very happy.” Rachel’s expression softens up from anger, as sadness fills into her face. “I’m actually very happy to see them.”

_So...she’s happy, huh? There’s absolutely no way we can coexist with each other. So she is going to side with them, leaving me all alone, huh?_

Rachel dips her head down, ashamed for everything. How the two adventurers’ life is truly broken and flawed. She always tried to convince Maxine just about everything to justify her to be by her side. Rachel knew she was flawed and messed up, but what could she really do? She takes a deep breath, and mutters quietly, “You know I will never get along with them. So you’re going to choose your parents over me?”

Maxine’s face becomes flushed as there is some tears hanging on to her eyes. “You see. This is what I’m talking about.” She is a mixture of sadness and resentment. “You are such a selfish person. I just told you I really want to be with my parents, and this is what you say. You’re not a good friend. You never been one.” Those words pounds into Rachel’s heart. “You will never help anyone out, you only care about yourself.”

Rachel stares on with despair, after hearing the words from her own best friend. She thinks for a moment, how she helped save Max in the other timeline, and how she saved Chloe’s father. Well, not anymore, now. _All the stuffs she said in that phone call, when I was driving from Blackwell Academy. It is all a lie. She never enjoyed being with me. This is probably why the other Rachel in Max’s timeline decided to start over without Maxine. To start a brand new life._

Her head dips up, not willing to accept that fate. Rage violently seethes within her, as she grabs her best friend’s by her throat, shoving her back. “They are fucking going away.”

Both of her parents screams, leaping out of the seat, rushing to aid their daughter on the ground.

Vanessa tries to chase after the evil blond girl, but Maxine quickly pulls her arm back down. Frustrated, she screams at Rachel, “You’re going to pay for this.”

Rachel yells back, raising her middle finger, “Fuck you bitch.” She turns towards Chloe, “Your father is going to die. Get used to living your life without him.” Full of frustration and anger, she storms out the hospital floor, as the rest of the hospital staff looks on in silence.

Anger seeps into Chloe, taking all those verbal threats from this apparent stranger that she even hardly knows. She curbs this violent rush of energy from exploding, biting the insides of her lips. She looks back, seeing Maxine and her parents screaming and crying at each others. Then she looks back at the lonely demon walking away. She begins taking off towards her, “Rachel!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Hey everyone. I like to thank you again for reading my story. As I stated above this was going to be a single chapter but it started to get very long so I split into two, so there's more breathing space to expand on.
> 
> In this chapter, I really want to highlight the repetitions, almost like a never ending nightmare for Rachel. In each attempts, all her memories is still retained, including the suffering and disappointment she has to go through. She is extremely fatigued and tired with just about everything. In addition of travelling into the other timeline, and taking control of Rachel Amber including her mind has some unexpected results. Having this much powers also has it consequences, and the inner angers and demons has finally come out of Rachel, as she makes a final attempt to make things right.
> 
> Some things to clarify about Maxine's attitude to Rachel. In the last chapter, she showed some love towards Rachel and that she always wanted to be with her. In this one, it is different. With her parents, who Maxine really do love, right in front of her you cannot help but appreciate it much more.
> 
> Please let me know what you think in comments. Is it right to let someone die just to be with someone longer? Max sure did it in the game. :) Of course, depending on the ending.
> 
> Next chapter is going lots of funnnnn.... 
> 
> 10/17 (edit): I removed a few dialogues of Jefferson playing into Rachel's mind. I admit at this point in the story, I didn't have a good understanding of Jefferson. It is impossible to fully understand the character. But I'm not pleased on how I interpret some stuff with him or at least throw it this early on in the story. I apologize.


	15. The Morning Never Came

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> TRIGGER WARNING!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!!!
> 
> I'm spamming this by the way. This chapter is the heaviest one I've ever written. Definitely by far the heaviest in this story so far. I had SERIOUS feels and difficult writing this chapter.
> 
> I'm going to repeat what I wrote in the beginning the story (though I added this recently):
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING!!!
> 
> This story contains some triggering elements like suicide attempts, self-harm, sexual acts, blood/violence, deaths. It also contains some heavy elements like depression, suicidal thoughts, self-destructive behaviors. If anything of these offends you or anything from the tags, please don't read this story.
> 
> So any of those elements deeply bother you, and I mean any. Skip this chapter NOW! And please leave me a comment, I can come up and message you an abridged version (less detailed/cleaner). Or I can post it in the Post Chapter End Notes. Please let me know!!!

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay Hospital – Parking Lot

#### August 24th, 2016 4:31 AM

The two celestial bodies hangs up in the eternal dark abyss, casting a bluish hue onto the world beneath it. The hospital of the town is situated in a rather isolated area on top of a small hill, off to the side of the main Downtown. Tall, towering pine trees overshadows the medium-sized hospital, with its discarded needles scatter loosely through the relatively empty parking lot. There were only a few parked cars and ambulances that gives an ironic hint of life in this otherwise almost barren scene.

Rachel shoves the glass door outward with force and frustration, as the abrupt cold night air quickly rushes in smother her pale skin. The sun has not provided any warmth to Arcadia Bay since Rachel’s trip from Blackwell Academy. The endless darkness hangs over her head, like a frigid looming curse.

A gentle breeze of wind blows onto Rachel’s gown, tensing her muscles to shield against the cold, as she walks into the parking lot. Her breathing is still heavy, from the previous heated confrontation, combined with the sudden chill blanketing her chest. The night is cold this late, with her thin hospital gown not providing much protection against it. She halts in her track, crossing her arms nervously, to catch her breath and collect her thoughts.

 _I said some really mean stuffs to her. And Chloe. I just...have to make this one change to make it all right again._ She glances around at the parking lot, feeling disoriented with her surroundings. _Shit, my car is probably still with the police. But it not like I have my car keys on me._ She looks up at the two gleaming lights from above. _I can still rewind back time, right now. But I rather go back to that rift in Downtown, just to make sure I do it right. I don’t want to rewind back into my slumber and deal with that asshole Ted, again._ Her eyes squints, as severe fatigue slowly overwhelms her body, her heart rests slowly back down into her chest.

“Rachel!” the door opens abruptly behind her, followed by footsteps scurrying towards her.

The exhausted patient didn’t look back immediately to acknowledge, as she continues to scan the parking lot. Her eyes lights up slightly, recognizing Chloe’s truck in the lot. In the distant, two figures comes walking towards her. For a moment, her heart skips a beat at the sight of them but then she realizes it isn’t Callum or Corbin.

Chloe’s breathing, also can't keep up, “What are you doing running out here?” She catches up to her side, following Rachel’s eyes, who is looking directly straight ahead.

“Rachel?” A calm, inquiring voice came from one of the approaching shadowy figure of a young man. He is holding onto the young woman right next to him. In his other hand, he has two almost withering roses that didn’t look impressive or anything that came fresh from a flower shop.

Rachel squints her eyes again, trying to adjust for the dark silhouette figures, not saying a single word. The two figures finally get illuminated by the warm orange lampposts near the entrance. It is Nathan Prescott and a young woman right beside him. Nathan is wearing a light blue jacket with a white dress shirt underneath it and some jeans. The young woman beside him is gorgeous looking, with short, auburn wavy hair. She is wearing a casual black cardigan, dark blue shirt and some dark colored jeans. _Must be some random girl that Nathan picked up at his party, after rejecting Maxine?_ Rachel continues staring with blank eyes, almost mesmerized by the young woman’s beautiful sapphire eyes.

Nathan follows her eyes to the woman beside her. “Oh you probably haven’t met-”

The woman interrupts, stepping forward with a sunny smile, sticking out her hand. “Hi, I’m Kristine. I’m Nathan’s older sister.”

Rachel's breath is almost withdrawn by her smile, as she continues looking at her with curious eyes, struggling to form any words or sound in her mouth. Or even thinking about reaching out to shake hands. _She's beautiful. But odd...thought they were a couple, just by the way he was holding her. Maybe they’re just very close with each other._ She rubs her knuckles on her eyelashes, stammering a few words.

Before she can correctly greet her, Kristine senses the nervousness in the blonde and continues, “I can tell you probably just woke up and trying to get some fresh air.” She glances up and down, at the hospital gown. “Last thing you probably want to do right now, is meet and greet someone.” She looks over at her brother, then back. “We won’t bother you anymore.” She retracts her extended arm back down, gives a nod with her enchanting smile, then politely steps back.

Nathan crosses his arms, “I’m not sure if patients are allowed to be strolling around like this,” showing some concerns. He, also glances at her gown, “Are you doing fine, yourself? I was going to see Maxine. But maybe I should be giving you one of these roses, too.” He tilts his hand, pointing the two roses towards her. “There weren’t any flower stores open at this time so I just grab whatever-hell looked alive at my place.”

Rachel ignores the roses, instead also gazing deep into his eyes. Finally something that resemble fondness after this disaster of a night of burning bridges with just about everyone I know in this world. _He doesn’t seem too bad of a guy, along with his sister. But what do I know?_ She mutters out quietly and nervously, face feeling warm. “It’s fine...I’m okay.”

His face pauses at Rachel for a moment, then he looks to her side, “Is this your friend?” He extends his hand out to her, “I’m Nathan.”

Rachel takes a step back, digging a few strands of hair on the side of her head. A flicker of whirling colors and ominous images bleeds into her vision. Nathan’s jacket gradually changes into a more bolder red-orange shade. “N-Nathan?” she mumbles softly under her breath.

Rachel reaches higher, clawing at her head, squeezing her eyes, as all of a sudden she feels weightless, her legs almost giving out.

 _“Did...she call out my name?”_ She hears Nathan’s voice, who sounds very slurred and sluggish as well. Not sure if he is intoxicated or just his voice reverberating in her mind. 

Something presses the back of her head, possibly soft lips. A cold hand slithers up her stomach, making its way up, softly squeezing her right breast. There is some heavy breathing in her mind, but it wasn’t exactly filled with lust. Instead it sounds like full of anxiety and fear. The hand quickly slides down and escape from her body. _“I swear she said my name.”_ Nathan’s voice cries again, more alert and full of paranoia this time.

Her vision returns back to normal, briefly disorienting her as she lets out a tormented cry. Everyone around the patient, immediately went silence with their conversation, turning their attention towards her. Rachel stumbles forward, shoving Nathan away, with her almost slipping, as she gradually regains sensation in her legs. She slowly shuffles her legs, continuing through the parking lot.

“Rachel!” Chloe calls after her, “I’ll take care of her.” She signals the other two to leave them alone as she closes the distance with the staggering blonde. “Rachel…” She reaches and grab her shoulder, halting her.

Rachel jerks her shoulder sharply to release the grip, but she turns around to face Chloe. Dodging the earlier confrontation, instead she talks about her recent fresh vision, “I heard Nathan…” She stares at the two Prescotts, who is giving her one last concerned look, before turning around, making their way towards the orange glow of the hospital's entrance.

With flustered eyes, Chloe looks over her shoulder for a moment then back, “What do you mean?”

“In the other timeline, he was…” Rachel lets in a sharp inhale, “Touching me while I was asleep or something. But I think he was being forced by some guy.”

Her eyes looking even more puzzled than before, she drifts back a step, overwhelmed from the confusion. “Like Ted?” She shakes her head profusely, “I don’t…” Her voice fades away to a murmur.

“Chloe!” Rachel steps forward grabbing her arm, but Chloe flings it away. Disheartened, she looks onto her partially obscured face, as the lamppost behind her cast a soft shadow on her face. “I fucked up with everything.”

Chloe nods her head lightly, flutters her eyes closed for a moment. She shrugs her shoulder, pressing her lips together, almost nonchalantly. “It’s alright.”

“Forget what I said. There’s just too many things going through my sick head.” She forces out her frustration through her tightening throat, giving a short pause, hoping Chloe may offer her a warm, comforting touch, but instead only a cold stare. She continues, “This timeline, I fucked up too much.”

Chloe lets out a sigh, ignoring her as she isn’t following her much, “The stuff you said back inside. Not cool.”

“I’m so sorry.”

She scolds her, continuing to expand on her anger, “What you said to me, my father and what you did to your own best friend?” She pushes Rachel’s shoulder like a bully, body recoils back slightly. “Is this what you like to do?”

“I’m very sorry.” Rachel replies quickly, hoping to help curb some of the frustration. Her body is hunched over slightly, cowering from the taller blonde.

“You seem to have some serious anger issue. I know Maxine said some hurtful words. So what is your history with her? I did hear some of it between my father and Maxine’s parents, but I didn’t listen too much of it.”

Rachel closes her eyes for a moment, giving out a warning. “This is going to be long.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere.”

Rachel points at the general direction of the hospital, “Look at Maxine. She’s so beautiful and gets along with everyone. She knows people that has money, people that has their life all figured out. She has both parents that loves her.” She pauses shrugging her shoulder, giving a soft kick at the blacktop floor with her slipper. “And there’s me, who has none of that.”

“Geez, don’t beat yourself up. There always going to be that one thing that you lack that someone else have. It is what makes us different.”

“Maybe,” Rachel nods slightly in agreement. “I guess she just always been by my side with everything. But I just know she can very well and leave me anytime.” Rachel looks up shyly at the blonde girl. “And she _really_ makes sure I know that.”

Chloe lets out an annoyed scoff, her eyes rolls looking towards the dark sky for a moment. “You’re just making this up, Rachel.”

“The way she talks to me sometimes. How all her friends don’t like me. She never really wants to introduce me to any of her friends, like she ashamed of me. Like she is embarrassed by me. I know she talks behind my back. I just know it.” She gazes up at the distant orange lights on the side of the hospital building. “She knows I like her. But she wanted to introduce me to Nathan, which is someone that she’s in love with, just to rub it in for me.”

“Rachel, seriously...It is all in your mind.”

“Nathan’s father…” Rachel’s voice raises sharply. “Killed my father with his stupid construction project.”

Chloe closes her eyes, “I remember that project. So that’s how your father died?”

“Maxine always tell me not to tell anyone about it, because it just a sob story. Like it is shameful thing to bring up about my father’s death?”

“Rachel, you're not being rational. Just be quiet.” The blonde mutters in an irritated tone.

Rachel glares at Chloe with a disgusted look, “Oh shut the fuck up. Don’t try and act all cocky, Chloe. When your father died, you were crying and begging for my help.”

Chloe is starting to catch on some of these puzzling threats that Rachel is making. She tilts her nose higher, with a stern look on her face. “I would never ask someone like you for help.”

Rachel’s stance dips a little bit, conceding this showdown. _She absolutely hates me. I never seen her like this before._ “There’s so much anger in your eyes, you must hate me.” Chloe looks back with her furious blue eyes with silence, not wanting to confirming or denying the accusations. “This is not how I want you to see me.” Rachel shakes her head in defeat. “I want to take it all back.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I need to get to Downtown, to where we were sitting in your truck.” _Seems like nothing in this timeline is ever going forward. I’m always stuck in time here._

Chloe takes a moment before replying, as she’s no longer aware of time travel powers like in the previous timeline, but she still has some hints of it. She says in a mocking tone, “So you can kill off my father?” Rachel dips her head down, halfway shaking her head. But deep down inside, she knows it is the truth. Chloe continues, “Tell me the thing you were going to tell me. Is it about how I’m able to see something that didn’t happen?”

“It’s nothing.” Rachel doesn’t really have much intention to share anything anymore. Nothing will come out of it, other than just digging herself a deeper grave.

“Well, you’re not definitely not getting a ride there from me.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just walk there.” _It is a 10-15 minutes walk. It is cold and probably get sick, but it'll go away when I go back in time._ Rachel walks away without saying any goodbyes, making her way out of the parking lot.

Chloe catches up to her, and again, reaches and grab her shoulder, turning her around. “You want to take it back? And then, what?” She questions with boldness in her tone. “You want to stop Maxine’s parents from coming, by making sure your own best friend never call them?” Her voice slowly filling with exasperation. “And what if my Dad is adamant, and that he’s going to force Maxine to call her parents? Cause he was very adamant. Maxine really did not want to call her own parents but my Dad kept pressuring her and won’t take ‘No’ for an answer. Seeing her drugged like that, and him being a father. I know if something like that ever happened to me, you'd bet he want to be the first person to know.” She takes a moment to catch her breath, as her frustration is constantly sapping the air from own lungs. “So, are you going to kill him?”

Rachel stammers unable to put together any words.

Chloe continues, “Answer me. Are you going to kill him anyways?” She walks up and grabs her gown, in a threatening manner. Her eyebrows twitching slightly from her heated verbal assault. “The person that I saw stab you, was he the one that was going to kill my father?” Still no words, yet. “I don’t know if I should even believe your bullshit. But still, you’re a sick person if you thinking about taking my father’s life.”

“Just forget everything I said, Chloe. I’ll make it right.”

“I want to tell you, that you’re not a good friend. Not at all. You’re an evil person, Rachel.”

 _Those words hurts..._ Rachel brings her hands close to her chest, grasping at her fingers nervously. “I’m not going to take out your father. Because Corbin took his wallet, finding out the address of you guys. He was going to hurt you and your mother, too.” Chloe doesn’t even make any sign of acknowledgement, as the anger is really overwhelming her body. Rachel thinks back at the kindness and warmth that she felt from the other blonde in the other timeline, how much she misses that one though. Even if it is in the timeline where Chloe’s father died. “Chloe, you told me whatever timeline we’re in. You will always want to be friends with me.”

Chloe looks back, with her lips pressed together like it is struggling to hold back some fuming breaths. “Yeah? It is definitely one of your stupid visions. That's telling you that, to make your pathetic self to feel better.”

All the colors just fades out of Rachel’s face, as immense sorrow finally seeps itself into her cold heart. Her eyes weakens, slowly dipping down. 

Chloe, lets go of her tight grasp, taking a step back, finally realizing the damage she has done to the poor broken blonde. Her mouth opens without any voice, immediately regretting what she just said.

Rachel doesn’t take notice at all, as she looks down at her own hands, focusing on it, emitting a very dim and weak red flame. Her body is severely weakened by the entire experience. Chloe was the only person that believed her.

_How far can I rewind back? I passed out. Not like I can wake myself up any earlier. As much as I really enjoyed beating Corbin up, I do not want to go through all of that again. I’m just very tired…About everything with this life._

“Rachel!” Chloe charges at Rachel, all of the sudden, tackling her. Her fragile body couldn’t even muster any strength to help the break the fall as she takes the full impact, taking out all the air that were in her lungs. “Don’t you dare!” Chloe pins her weak hands against the ground. She must have saw how suspicious Rachel was acting, not taking any chance she can rewind any time. And she guessed right.

Rachel’s visions darkens for a moment, as a familiar moment continues to linger in her mind. Her abdomen is moist with her own blood, riddled with stab wounds. She feels her pants getting unzipped and pulled down. Her breathing intensifies, and pupils dilate.

_No, not this again..._

She lets out bloodcurdling scream from the nightmares that never ever go away, causing Chloe to recoil backwards, pushing herself off to the side. Rachel breaks the grasp, and like with Corbin, she conjures a fuming amount of energy in her right fist, sending it right into the side of Chloe’s throat, causing her to flop forward onto Rachel’s body, coughing out saliva and gagging.

Both the blonde’s eyes meet together, as Chloe looks on in intense pain, looking like she is about to throw up but she holding onto her neck to brace the recoil if she vomits.

Rachel eyes the squirming blonde’s pocket, wanting to grab her keys. But she couldn't because the ground is pressing against it, securing it. Sensing the opportunity, she reaches for Chloe's shoulder, and rolling her limp body, until her back is facing her. She slides her arm, cleanly around Chloe’s neck, pressing down, and locking it in with her other arm, giving her a sleeper hold.

Still dazed and hurting from the pulsating pain delivered on her neck, Chloe weakly but desperately tries to fend off the strong force against her neck. Some saliva bursts out her mouth, spraying onto Rachel's arm. Small pocket of air bursts through the suffocating blonde's gaped mouth, gagging and choking from the hold. Her throat is given enough opening to expel some air, but not enough coming in. She taps her fingers onto Rachel’s arm rapidly, trying to concede and begging her to stop, as her sleepy and watery eyes, gaze into the parking lot with fading darkness. 

Rachel keeps her grip locked in, pressing her forearm hard against the pale, fragile neck. She refuses to let go, despite not at all wanting to do this to someone she cares about. Chloe, slowly became silent, expelling one last warm puff into the air. Both her hands, inches its way to the ground. Her body lolls, mouth widening and slowly trembling, as her eyes flutter closed.

Rachel sniffs her nose, sobbing underneath her breath for a moment. Slowly, releasing her grip, and gently catching Chloe’s body as it crumbles down. She makes no hesitation, reaching into her pocket, feeling the car keys trapped in it. Chloe’s body flinches at the sensation of the slithering fingers at her upper knee, but settles back down.

Rachel pulls out the car keys, staring at it for a moment, to collect her thoughts about what she just had to do to obtain it. Her breathing remains heavy, gently resting the blonde’s body onto the ground with her trembling hands. She crawls over her body to take a good look at Chloe, whose head is swaying to the side, her eyes slightly fluttering. With the last lingering thread of humane in her body, she dips in close to the stirring dazed blonde. “I’m so sorry, Chloe.” Their warm lips meet together for a brief moment, sniffing her to let in her warm scent. Then their lips part ways. Rachel, for a moment strives for that tender moment a little longer, makes her way down along the unconscious blonde's body. Her chin slowly taps its way towards her heart. Rachel presses her nose into her warm sweater, breathing into her heart. She can feel Chloe's chest expands and contracts around her face, ensuring she is breathing normally again. Chloe's sleepy body jerks for a moment showing her consciousness is slowly coming back. Rachel slowly lifts her head off, then goes back to focus on her objective. She stands back up tall, looking at the truck in the distant.

She makes her way towards the truck, with her heart is racing inside her chest. Both of her slippers already came out from the dash, as she continues barefooted across the parking lot. When she reaches the truck, she unlocks it with the stolen keys and gets in it.

Her hands were still shaky, struggling to get the key into the ignition. Her mind couldn’t think straight, unable to concentrate with her rapid pounding heart in her stationary body. Her teeth clenches, breath hissing through it. She finally manages to put the key into the ignition, starting the engine. No time to make any seat adjustments, she quickly set it on reverse, applying generous amount of pressure to the pedal to quickly pull out the spot until there’s a loud thud that shakes the truck.

Rachel immediately slams on the brake, causing the tires of the truck to screech to a halt. Both her hands detaches from the steering wheel to cover her mouth in pure shock, as she slowly peered over her right shoulder. She didn’t even get a chance to look behind her. Holding her breath and bracing for the worst, she puts up the parking gear and quickly opens the door to hop out of the truck.

A short distance behind the truck, she sees Chloe lying face down, almost motionless. Rachel’s mouth drops open, as her knees suddenly feels numb, giving out. Before crashing completely into the ground, she manages to shuffles herself closer towards Chloe’s body.

“What have I done?!?!” Rachel cries out loud. “Chloe!”

Chloe turns over to the side, her face is completely red filled with intense pain. There is a small tiny scrape on the left side of her forehead, probably from the impact to the ground. Her eyes is closed, eyebrows furrowed, teeth clenching but not much sound is coming out of her mouth. Her hand is grabbing her rib cage, as she must have fallen very hard on the front part of her body, from the impact of the truck. _She tried to run and stop me._

“I’m so sorry.” Rachel sobs, unable to keep it in anymore.

Chloe faintly whispers through her teeth. “I’m okay.” A relief but still not enough.

Rachel, absolutely disappointed with herself, falls forward onto her knees, with her hands holding her tired body up. _I’m...a monster._ She lets out of a whimper, her hands squeezing against the black top parking lot, with the sharp tiny pebbles digging hard into her skin. A red flame softly emits out her right hand, she mutters softly under her breath. “I’m very tired Chloe. But one more time, I’ll make everything right…”

Pattering footsteps became louder and louder, as a menacing shadow shrouds her hands in darkness. Then before Rachel can react, a heeled shoe steps squarely onto her right hand. An alarming scream comes fresh out of her tight throat, unable to pull her fiery hand out.

“You cold bitch…” It is Vanessa, as she digs her heeled shoe even deeper into her right hand, twisting and breaking the skin of the top part of her hand. Rachel’s screams became louder along with the red flames engulfing the air, as the scene all of sudden becomes a blur.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Pineview Apartments - Room 203

#### September 23rd, 2016 7:47 PM

The red energy diminishes from the air, subsiding back into her hand. Rachel squeezes her eyes closed, letting out a scream as her surrounding calms down. She quickly extinguishes her scream to hissing whimper. The sharp, throbbing pain on top of her hand has propagated throughout her body, as she falls off a chair she is sitting on, crashing into the soft carpet below.

Her eyes opens slightly but closes back as there is a small bright yellow light right above her head. Still, her agony breathes continue, muffled through her sealed lips. Slowly again, she tries to open her puffy eyes again, with the scene slowly forming into her vision, as she realizes, she is looking at the ceiling of her apartment. She lets out another cry, biting her lips, as there’s a sudden piercing pain of her left arm. Her entire body aches as well, and her muffled cries becomes louder. The sensation of moisture on the left arm, slowly creeps into her realization. She opens her eyes more, leaning her head up and looking to her left; she sees her wrist, covered in blood with a fresh cut.

 _Fuck!_ The sight of her blood sends the blonde into a panic, as her breathing sharpens, “Maxine?” she cries helplessly in pain. “Help…” She hovers her wrist over her stomach, hoping to prevent any more blood from dripping onto the white carpet. _What happened?!?!_ She lifts her shoulder blade off the ground, looking over to her left.

Maxine’s bed is gone.

A sense of chill numbs all the existing pain in her body for a brief moment, at the sight of the emptiness in the corner of the room. She glances around with paranoia, silencing her breath. The closet door is slide opened, with Maxine’s side of it, completely emptied. Rachel's clothes and her own bed is intact in the apartment, so they didn’t get burglarized. The void in her stomach continues to expand.

More fresh blood drips out the wound from her left wrist. She gets up immediately, keeping her wrist flat as much as possible, dashing towards the bathroom of the studio. She carefully nudges the door with her hips, turning on the light switch in the dark room.

A quick glance around making sure the bathroom is empty to ease the paranoia that was building up inside her. _Good. There’s no one hiding here._ A relief to her anxiety and fear someone else could be here with her. With people like Ted and Corbin out loose in this world, you can never be sure.

She looks at the shattered bathroom mirror, with the cracks looks like a mosaic of shapes and colors, along with some dried blood adhering to it. She turns on the sink below, to wash out her bloody hands. She pumps some hand soap and lathers her skin, to wash the wound. A pool of crimson water mixed with a bubbling foam accumulates at the bottom of the sink.

_How the fuck did I get this cut? Was I cutting myself? I need to wrap these up._

She turns off the sink, quickly grabbing the hand towels behind her, and wrapping her left wrist in it, applying pressure onto the wound. She can feel her body weakening from the loss of blood, but her determination keeps her focused. She clenches her teeth from the sharp pain of it, as she takes her attention from it, and peer into the broken mirror. Despite all the distorted shapes, she is able to make out herself in one of the thicker shard of the mirror. She leans in closer, seeing that her eyes is severely bruised and puffy. Not sure if it was from a fight, self inflicted harm, lack of sleep, or all of the above. Her eyes were totally red with fresh tears, as well as dried trail of tears on her cheeks. There's a cut on her forehead with some blood dripping from it, but not much. Possibly it is washed before and it is reopening partially. Her face looked thinner, a little more pale, but difficult to tell from all these bruises scattered throughout her face. Her hair were completely let down and messy from the usual clean pony tail, almost as if she hasn’t left to gone out for days. She tips her head up slightly, as a rush of pain floods the back of her neck. On the right side of her neck were some thin cuts of dried blood. _I must have been scratched. Or maybe I did it???_

Frightened and terrified by what she looks like now, she slowly back herself against the wall, sliding down along it, until she hits the floor. She lets out an exhale of anguish, before glancing at the towels, remembering what she needed to do. She presses the towels hard, applying lots of pressure, to help stop the bleeding.

 _I don’t really know what happened. I was at the parking lot with Chloe, now I’m here..._ She squeezes her eyes closed, holding in the pain that never goes away. Her body weakens, but the pain keeps her well alerted and committed. _Fuck, I need to find out what happened._

After a few minutes of constant pressure onto the wound, she begins to feel antsy as she slowly crawls herself back onto her feet, returning back to the room. Still applying pressure, the pain is ramping up, tears forming around her eyes from the stinging pain, and a soft rhythmic hissing through her throat. There’s a kitchen knife that is on the chair, with fresh blood on it. The blonde’s mouth opens in shocked at the sight of it, but she remains silent for now.

She sees her phone at the desk, immediately rushing straight to it. She presses the power button on the phone, waiting for the screen to light up.

_September 23rd, 2016?!?! That’s like whole month. Did I go in the future?_

Her eyes drifts over to the void in the room, where Maxine’s bed used to be. The numbness is coming back into her body, as her stomach ties itself in a knot. Her throat and lungs becomes paralyzed for a moment, her breath stopped and speechless.

She looks down at her phone with a stiff neck, carefully navigating her phone, desperately trying to gain knowledge on what happened. She sorts her text messages in chronological order.

**August 24th**

> **Maxine:** I’m packing my stuffs and staying at my parents. (12:43 PM)
> 
> **Maxine:** I can’t believe you tried to steal her car, and then run her over with it. (12:45 PM)

**August 27th**

> **Vanessa:** Maxine, finally gave me your number. You always been a bad influence to her. It pains me to see her upset over someone like you. (7:43PM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Good. She should be upset. (7:46PM)
> 
> **Vanessa:** I hope William and Joyce sue you for the medical bills. I don’t care if it just a bruised ribs. She is in a lot of pain. It still cost money for her to get examined. (7:50PM)

**August 30th**

> **Maxine:** I’m texting to let you know, I’m coming by later to pick up some stuff. (10:24AM)

**August 31th**

> **Vanessa:** What the hell did you do? I see bruise marks on her neck? Did you try to strangle her? (2:25PM)
> 
> **Vanessa:** Answer me! You stupid shit. (3:12PM)

**September 2nd**

> **Joyce:** I just mailed your final paycheck. (1:12PM)

**September 5th**

> **Maxine:** I’m packing ALL my stuff. You dare to choke me again. I’m going to call the cops. Chloe coming with me, this time. (10:24 AM)

**September 10th**

> **Rachel:** I hate you so much. (11:24 AM)
> 
> **Maxine:** I’m getting the paper form to get a damn restraining order from you. Chloe agreed to it, too. She thinks you’re out of control. (12:03 PM)

**September 12th**

> **Maxine:** So the court hearing is on the 24th. You will get the mail real soon. (8:45 AM)

**September 14th**

> **Elizabeth:** Honey, give me your e-mail address. I'll send you money. (10:21 AM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Mom, I don’t need it. (10:43 AM)
> 
> **Elizabeth:** Please call me. (10:45 AM)

**September 17th**

> **Chloe:** rachel can you call me? (3:36 PM)

**September 19th**

> **Chloe:** rachel? i never suggested getting the restraining order on you. i promise. maxine was just angry that moment. shes fine now. (1:23 PM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Just shut up (1:42 PM)
> 
> **Chloe:** rachel. please pick up the phone. im very sorry (1:49 PM)
> 
> **Chloe:** rachel??? (2:02 PM)

**September 21th**

> **Elizabeth:** Move back home at the end of this month. It’ll save money. (9:04 AM)

**September 22nd**

> **Chloe:** rachel please pick up your phone. (7:58 PM)

That is the end of the text messages. Rachel releases the phone from her fingers, dropping it onto the carpet. _So I lost my job. I'm talking to Mom again. And...I choked Maxine? Did I try to kill her? So now she’s getting a restraining order on me..._

Her fingers trembles, as she gazes at them. _Chloe is right. Something is really fucked up with me._ She lets out a whimper, fluttering her eyes closed, her right hand lifts up to rub the dried line of scab on the side of her neck. _I’ll claw out my own skin if I ever hurt Maxine like that._

On the table there is a neatly placed white envelope. On it, is the words “From Rachel”

Rachel looks at the envelope, as her breath echoes into the emptiness inside her body. She presses her lips tightly, biting the inside of her lips, dreading what lies inside that envelope. She slowly reaches for it, picking it up and examining it. The envelope is sealed but she has no hesitation of opening it. She takes out two folded papers from the envelope, of what seems like a long letter:

_“To anyone that wants to read about my fucked up life…_

_This is the end of the road for me. I knew there was a demon inside me, that finally broke out and unleashed onto the people I loved._

_Maxine, you’re the most special person in my life. I’m very sorry for everything. I totally broke your heart and almost tried to kill you. I will never forgive myself for that. Never. You wasted your life, on trying to be there for me, hanging onto me the best you can. Thank you for hanging in there and extending my miserable life as long as it did. I really had some great memories of us together. But it is hard to reminiscence in those memories in the past with the awful things I just did. I saw that we didn’t have a future together, then I realized I have been absolutely selfish and purposely manipulating everything for you to be with me. If I could go back in time, I would change it so we never met each other at that park. You should have met Chloe. Not me. But I don’t have that power anymore. This imaginative world that I thought I had control of, I will finally end it. You will never have to be sad or angry anymore. You will get to start your life with your parents and Chloe now. And I will never be a burden to you again. I will always love you, forever._

_Chloe, thanks for trying to believe in me. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just panicked with everything going on. Your parents seems to be very nice people. Knowing that, I definitely have no regrets in saving William. He seems like an amazing guy. He will offer endless amount of support to both you and Maxine together, than I ever will. He will actually help this world. Unlike me, who seeked to destroy it. I’m very glad I traded my life for his._

_Mom, thank you for trying to help me, all you can. There is no mother in the world that could have taken better care of me than you. I kept using too many excuses and there was nothing more you could have done. I love you, Mom. Please, my death has nothing to do anyone. This is my decision._

_Little Max, this is very important. If you somehow stumble over here, I’m already deep in hell. But please, do not do anything to save me. I destroyed everything, and somehow I lost all my powers after it. I couldn’t see the two moons in the sky anymore, or any rifts. Absolutely nothing. Everything spiraled down for me, and I realized there were no hope for me. I just wished I was able to save your Chloe and your parents in your timeline, so you have a good life. I shouldn’t have made it hard for you when you questioned about saving the Rachel in your timeline. I was selfish, because the Rachel in your timeline is a future version of me. She would have been my replacement. If you have her, there would absolutely be no reason for you to even care about me. I think I knew in the back of my head, nothing was going to go right in my timeline, but maybe somehow I could still have you. I don’t even know how, I was just being hopeful I guess. And because of my foolishness, you lost your best friend Chloe and your parents. I’m very sorry for that. Be strong, Max. Kate will guide you to a bright future. She loves you. I can tell. She may be shy, maybe even more shy than you are, and her religion probably holds her back. But if you show her your love, she’ll show it back to you. I just know it. Everyone loves you, Max. There’s a reason for that. Again, don’t save me. These timeless memories will forever embed into my soul for how evil of a person I’ve become. Changing reality will never fix that. If you bring me back to life, you will continue to torture me with all the terrible things I’ve done._

_At the end of the road, there were no more doors for me to go, but for me to put myself out of my own misery. The world is a better place with me gone. Not just this world...both worlds.”_

Rachel releases the letter, letting both papers fall back onto the desk.

 _I really was going to take my own life._ Rachel squeezes her hand softly, feeling the sensation of the time freezing. _So like back when I was in Downtown, when I fast forward, my body gets taken over. Except I don’t have time power? I still seem to have the knowledge of time travel power, but just unable to use it._ She leans back, pressing her back against the chair, looking up at the ceiling. _So for a month, I must have waited and waited, hoping one day my time travel powers will come back so I can reset everything. As my life continues to spiral downwards, with no chance of bouncing back._ She glances around the messy apartment, her eyes stopping at the empty area where Maxine’s bed used to be. 

_But it never came._

Her eyebrows trembles slightly as sadness creeps into her body, as she pieces together everything. _So, would have I done the same thing? Take my own life if I lost my time travel powers? To go to that parking lot in Downtown, unable to have a second chance at life to make things right. Growing resentful and frustrated of everything in this timeline and especially with myself. And for Maxine and Chloe to hate you as well…_ Her vision becoming blurry and the tears were getting too hard to hold in, but still hanging on because her head is tilted upwards to the ceiling. _To lose everything, your job, your money, basically everyone in your life._ She blinks her eyes as a tear flows down freely both side of her cheeks. She looks at the trash can by her legs, seeing an envelope teared in half. Leaning over, she picks it up, scanning it quickly. It says 'Arcadia Bay Civil Complex Center', as well as red text that says 'Court Summon'. It has to be the court summoning papers for the restraining order that Maxine filed against her. She threw it back into the trash with frustration, falling back into her chair. Her tormented mind continues, _And unable to see Max in the other timeline to at least give the gift of a better life for her, as a small redemption to your soul. And as well as unable to go back Long Beach, to fully reset my life by saving Dad. If the other Rachel lost her powers before she could change it all, would she have taken her own life, as well?_

Rachel looks at her hand. _I have no one to blame but myself._ She thinks back about the warm feeling that she had with Chloe and Maxine, just seemed like yesterday in the previous timeline. Of her talking to Chloe in her room, about saving her father. How close they became. And the phone call with Maxine, and how touching it meant to her. She now regrets that she decided to go straight back to Downtown instead of going back to see Maxine first. _It would have totally been different. She was teasing and goofing around with me. Not anything like...this._

 _“Whatever timeline we’ll end up, and if we ever get separated or if we get lost, promise to come back to me, okay?”_ Chloe’s voice echoes into her mind.

A much younger Maxine’s voice echoes in the past. _“Rachel, we will always be together.”_

_No… We won’t, Maxine._

_I’m not going to change back anything. Now I know Chloe and Maxine hates me in this timeline, there no way I’m going to change this just to make them love me. Why even live a lie? Why pretend people love you when they really don’t love you? If this is the final dark path for me, then I’m going to take it._

Rachel looks at her phone for a moment, spacing out on it. _But Chloe...Just maybe..._ She interrupts her train of thoughts and grabs her car keys on the desk.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Outside Price Residence

#### September 23th, 2016 8:31 PM

Rachel parks her car in the quiet peaceful neighborhood, just a house over from Chloe’s. The street is quiet but is illuminated with lights from tall standing lamp posts, spaced generously throughout the street. There were scattered amount of cars, parked on the street, as there are people staying in this Friday evening.

The night continues to remain over her, slowly depleting any remaining composure left in the blonde. She gets hit by the sudden feeling of deja vu. The last time she was here, she was getting ready to explain her time power that will save Chloe’s father. This time, everything is completely different. She is hoping that Chloe may accept her apology. But not knowing if she already rejected or shunned by her. 

Rachel has become so attached and reliant on her powers, that she is starting to deteriorate as a human being. As well as all the dark events and memories that she has to live with, whether or not they are part of this timeline or the past ones, is slowly ripping apart her already broken mind.

She gazes out the window at the two moons still looking down on her. Then her eyes drifts down to her weakened hand, who is tied tightly with a cloth, to keep the pressure on the wound. Flexing her hands, it lets out a very faint red puff of smokes. _I do still have my powers..._

Rachel gets blinded by a pair of headlights driving towards her direction, causing her to squint her eyes. It is Chloe’s truck, pulling into the driveway followed by a green sedan, also pulling up right beside it. There is no tall fences or bushes blocking her view, but she slides her body down a little, to make sure she doesn’t get spotted.

In Chloe’s truck, William was the driver with Joyce riding shotgun right next to her. She opens the back door, letting out the two girls, Chloe and Maxine hops out from the backseat.

Rachel’s breath stops for a moment, as she presses her lips tightly together, seeing the sight of those two girls right next to each other. Almost like two kids playfully jumping out of their parent’s car to play. Maxine is wearing a black cap, which isn't something she normally do. Her hair is tied up in a small ponytail and actually looks shorter. There is silly birthday-looking hat, placed awkwardly on top of her cap.

 _Shit, that’s right. Her birthday just passed. Her 21th birthday._ Rachel grasps at her own body but still trying to keep her left arm flat as possible. The bleeding has toned down but her body is still severely weakened and cold. She really did try to end her life back in her apartment.

Rachel lowers the passenger window, creeping her ear closer to see if she can eavesdrop their conversation.

Two people walks out the green sedan. It’s Vanessa and Ryan Caulfield. Joyce walks over, standing in front of the garage door, gesturing them with her hand. “Come on in you guys, I have some wine Vanessa, since you didn’t get to drink.” 

“Yes, Ryan did enough for all of us. Including my Maxine and she just turned twenty one.” Vanessa lets out a playful laugh. “I may have a small glass, because later I have to drive over to...Well you know…” She looks over at her stumbling drunken daughter, being held by the tall blonde. “Honey, don’t bump into Chloe. Her ribs still hurts.”

“I’m okay, Mrs. Caulfield. I got her.” Chloe says in a very calm tone, continues holding onto Maxine’s quiet hunched body.

Both the Prices and Caulfields and the two girls lagging in the back, walks into the house, slamming the door and silencing the cool air of the evening.

_I remember in the other timeline, when we went back in time to that restaurant where they dressed as pirates, Max's father said when Max turns 21, he would have a drinking contest with her. So that night did actually come, but in this timeline._

Rachel puts her window back up, and getting out of the car. There’s a side door to the house, as she makes her way towards it. She quietly opens it, making sure it doesn’t squeak loud or scrape against the ground to attract any unwanted attention.

The backyard gets illuminated with a bright golden glow as someone flips on the lights in the house, at least the back part of it. Rachel carefully creeps slowly towards it, making sure her footsteps remain unnoticed. There is a line of bushes that wraps around the backyard, as she ducks down to hide behind it, slowly creeping her way around the back yard, making sure to be extra careful and quiet to not accidentally step on a twig to disturb the inhabitants of the house.

She dips her head up, peering over the bushes and through the glass sliding door to the dining room of the house. The parents are a little harder to see as they’re more towards the front portion of the house. Seems like they could be doing some tour or maybe just engaged in some conversation in that section of the house.

Both the young women were steadily making their way to the dining room. Chloe is walking slowly still grasping at her right ribs, as Maxine politely pulls out the chair for the injured blonde to sit down.

Once the blonde sits down carefully on the seat, Maxine takes off her birthday hat, and stuffs it on top of Chloe’s head in a playful manner. She doesn’t do anything to defend herself from the assault, instead she flutters her eyes closed, still gently holding onto her right ribs.

Maxine sees this, halting any further playful abuse she was planning to do. She runs her soft fingertips along the sides of the poor girl, then onto her bruised ribs, massaging it. Chloe drops the hand that was holding onto her side, welcoming the warm touch from the brunette. 

For a moment, she relaxes to the comforting touch. Then Chloe opens her eyes, dipping her head up, as both of their eyes meet together with the brunette. Even from Rachel’s perspective, and under the golden glow of the hanging light above them, you can see the love and warmth in their face. As much as there is tenderness in their stare, there is also a strong hint of melancholy in both of their expressions.

There's a bruise right next by Maxine's left eye, on her temple. Her bangs were covering it before but you can see the discoloration in her skin, as her hair hangs loosely away from it. Rachel's eyes widen in shock, as she slowly looks down at her right trembling bruised knuckles. _I punched her, too. I..._ Rachel looks back up, shaking her head with her lips pressed, again more evidence of the monster she has become.

Through the window, Maxine dips her head down, pressing her warm lips onto Chloe's forehead, and just leaving it there for a good moment.

Rachel looks on with an indifferent stare, not happy but also not sad. She thinks back at the scene where both families were together in that restaurant, in the other timeline. 

_“You’re lying, little Max.”_ Chloe’s voice echoes into her head.

A young pirate Max, sobbing through her throat _, “I love all you guys.”_ Vision of the dinner table with the Caulfield and Price family flickers in Rachel’s vision. _“And…I love you, Chloe…”_

 _The way those two look at each other, you can tell they’re in love with each other. You don’t need me to be happy Maxine. You have your parents. And there’s Chloe. She’s your real soulmate. Even in both timelines, there is no separating of you two. You don’t need me at all. You never did._ Rachel looks at her wrist, wrapped up with a bloodied rag. Then she leans back, looking up in the sky with the two moons.

 _“Eventually, I’ll fade out of existence from everyone.”_

She looks at her right hand, with soft red flames glowing on it, illuminating her body. _What the point of hiding behind my powers, when everyone else out there don’t like me? I’m ready to move forward, now._

She gazes at the dancing fiery flames, thinking about how Chloe in the previous timeline was very affectionate towards her. But she now knows it is only because she had the power to save William and alter her future. Now, she thinks about Max in the other timeline. _Her, as well...She also only cares about me because I can save Chloe and her parents._ The red smokes slowly blinds into her vision, numbing her senses as well. _Yeah definitely. I’m not even from her timeline. She has even less reason to care for me._

There is a short moment of silence, Rachel fidgets her head, pressing her lips down. She sniffs her nose to hold it in the best she could.

_Little Max. I’m going to accept my fate in this timeline, but before I go...I will get you your blue haired pirate. Okay, Max? I’m going to use my power to save her, so you don’t have to sad anymore. You guys will continue your pirate adventures together. With her and your parents, you will be happy. I want you to be happy._

Her changing surrounding flickers into her vision for a moment, not sure if it is real or just a strong recollection. She is back at Blackwell Academy, with the brightness of the sunlight beaming through the opened doors, briefly stunning her for a moment. She is standing right behind Max who is leaning in close to her dying blue haired Chloe, resting on a gurney. This is a memory from one of the trip she did in the other timeline.

Max gives a kiss to Chloe’s forehead, sending a lukewarm feeling deep into Rachel’s stomach. A mixed feeling of happiness and loneliness blends together in an unruly fashion inside her. The two girls look dearly into each other eyes, but not at all acknowledging Rachel’s existence, despite being right next to them. Rachel weakly reaches out her uneasy hand towards them, that just maybe, they would turn around to give her a look. But they remain perfectly fixated with each other, without a single thought or care for her. _In the other timeline, I'm dead and forgotten. And in my timeline..._ Her tears were running down wildly, on both side of her face. _There is no differences. It's all the same._ She will always look onto them from the distant, as well as everyone in the world not knowing what she did. She will always remain the enigmatic being that no one knew or cared for. 

The vision whitens again, and washes away as dark reality of the cold night comes back.

“Just be happy, Little Max. I want you to be.” Rachel presses her lips, as fresh new hanging tears on her eyes, shrouds her visions, turning it into a golden pattern of colors. Weakly, she mutters quietly, “Promise me, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Well before I forget...If you haven't noticed on Chapter 1, here's the cover art for this FF!
> 
> http://gdurl.com/Ay3F
> 
> Moving back to the chapter...Finally some Pricefield...yay? Well damn this is the hardest chapter I've ever written. The material was very heavy. Throughout the story, I always thought Rachel and her timeline were the most challenging to develop because she is flawed character and in an original timeline. She is at a disadvantage because everyone loves Max Caulfield and Chloe Price. So I really had to push out her struggles and challenges as a character. Throw in the time travel powers, the last few chapters is very confusing, and as an author I deeply apologize for it. It also some of the darkest/heaviest one too, to show Rachel's character slowly decaying and breaking apart, being frustrated with everything. No matter what she did, something else just breaks apart. This ties back from the video game a little bit. One thing to note is, from the title of the chapter, as it is referenced in the chapter, it has be night time for a long time for Rachel. Like an endless nightmare that never goes away, and the sun (hope) won't ever come. Something Nightmare Max mentioned earlier how there is no doors left for Rachel in the end.
> 
> Maxine (in Rachel's timeline) is kept relatively unexplored, and it is partly intentional. I wanted to keep her a little more mysterious despite being a huge factor in Rachel's life. Also not to confuse with Max Caulfield too much, since there is a main true counter part (yay alternate timeline). I understand that complaint for sure. 
> 
> The suicide attempt is a very triggering portion of the chapter. I hope the warning is good enough, even if it spoil for the general viewers. I think it is worth it. I was finding a good balance of making it not extremely explicit but still very impactful.
> 
> Not gonna lie, this chapter gives me some serious feels to write. It is a "bold" chapter for me to write, so I don't expect it to be received with welcoming hands. So hopefully as readers, you understand what I was getting at. I know I got some comments about the story is very dark and sad. And this chapter probably the worst one one so far. I won't spoil the future chapters or anything, but hopefully you guys understand the tone and style this story has. The time power in this chapter is an interesting concept I always thought about, with the idea of Auto Max/Rachel with the effect of Fast Forward in time. There is an absence of time travel power as "Auto Rachel", but at same time, you haven't not decay mentally as much, unaware of what has been happening in the past month.
> 
> Let me know what you guy think about this chapter. Any feedbacks or comment is highly appreciated. :)
> 
> 10/17 (edit): Like in previous chapter, I removed a small dialogue with Jefferson with Nathan, when Rachel hears Nathan's voice.


	16. The Mountains Say

#### Max Caulfield

#### Cedar Park

#### October 9th, 2003 4:47 PM

The sun hovers low to the horizon in the late autumn afternoon. Along with the bustling leaves swaying on the tree as an indicator for the families to depart for their warmer homes. Signs of life is slowly dwindling away from the playground. Only scattered screaming and giggling from children, echoes across the rusty play area.

An old compact SUV is parked at the edge of the park, with its maroon paint peeling off, exposing the rusted metal beneath it. The back window hums, as it lowers before stopping halfway. A small blonde girl sticks her head out of it, and shouts with enthusiasm, “Bye Maxine!” Her voice along with her cute flailing catches the attention of the nearby brunette.

Max turns around with a grin instantly appearing on her face, “Bye Chloe!” She waves back at the car, that slowly pulls out, joining the traffic on the main road. She keeps waving in an adorable fashion until the car went out of sight. The young girl looks up at her mother, tugging at the bottom of her aqua colored shirt, “Mom, will I get to see her again?”

The beautiful woman with a dark brunette ponytail, is preoccupied with consolidating food into containers on the bench table. The tiny girl lets out a whine at her mother’s lack of attention. Vanessa quickly replies to her daughter but remaining focused on her task, “Well, I got their number. And they said they live nearby here. Maybe we can have dinner another day.”

The disappointment quickly erases from her face, as her eyes light up with joy. “Yay! Mom!” The brunette makes a few short hops in the air, clapping her hands. “Chloe is fun!”

The mother nods her head with a grin, “Yeah she is a very sweet girl. She’s only a year older than you, too.” She pauses looking at her husband, who is tossing the plates smeared with grease and barbecue sauce into the trash can. “Honey, can you collect Maxine’s toys?” She tips her nose in the direction of the small stuffed bear and doll at the edge of the table.

“Sure thing,” the father nods without looking back.

“Play around here, sweetie. We’ll leave in a few minutes.”

“Okay!” The tiny girl does a few skips with her tiny legs, fueled with uncontrolled energy and joy. She prances her way towards the center of the small park with the playground roundabout. Just when she is about to hop on it, she sees a blonde girl sitting on the swing. She is barely moving at all, but enough to make a faint squeaky sound. She has long hair, and her head is draped down like she is very well invested in her thoughts.

Maxine shuffles her small feet, around the roundabout, and heading towards the lonely girl. Feeling still filled with delight with just making friends with the other blonde girl, she exclaims cheerfully, “Hi! I’m Maxine. What’s your name?” The scene flickers for a moment, switching to a gray undertone then back to the normal vibrant colors. The smile slowly disappears from the young brunette’s face, as she asks in a stern voice. “Rachel?”

The girl presses her lips together, her head slowly looks up revealing her face. “Max...are you doing okay?”

A little caught off-guard by the question, Max interlocks her fingers together in front of her chest, like she is praying. “I’m doing okay. Did I accidentally go back in time, somehow?”

“No, this is just a dream. So I’m still dead.” She says it nonchalantly, with an absence of any emotions. “And no, I’m not that other Rachel. I cannot save your Chloe and your parents like that other Rachel can.”

Max nods her head softly, acknowledging. “No, it’s okay.” She flutters her eyes closed for a moment. “I’m being selfish, huh?”

“I think it is just more of self-interest. You have to look out for yourself sometimes, to be happy. Your parents...and Chloe.” The girl releases her hands from the swing and crosses them over her body. “Sometimes what benefits you, will become an obstacle for someone else. Everything always has a consequence.”

There is a brief silence between the girls, as they just peer at each other. Max is uncertain what the cryptic blonde girl is getting at if she is referring to some past event that she is unaware of or consequences in the future. Trying not to dwell on it anymore, the brunette changes the subject in a calm tone, “You’re a ghost, aren’t you?”

“I’m not decaying or bloody as I should be, huh?” There is a slight sly smile on her, but still an absence of any happiness in her. “I didn’t scare you as much as your mom did huh?”

“My mom…” Max raises her eyebrows, with curiosity. “How did you...?”

“Time travel powers seem to have some side effects with the...spirits. Or whatever you want to call it.” The blonde shrugs her shoulders, “And for a total lack of better words, they can sorta take control of a time traveler.” Her eyes widen, throwing both her hands up to neutralize any distress. “Don’t be startled, but in a way, I’m kind of...taking control of you right now.”

“Rachel…”

“Don’t worry I’m not here to hurt you. Neither was your mother. Quite the opposite, actually.” She puts her hands down, sensing the calmness from the brunette. “We just want you to be okay.”

Max nods her head, “I know. And I thank you.” Deep down inside, the brunette isn’t actually certain about anything with this Rachel, or the impact that she has made towards her. But if what she thinks is true, then maybe this Rachel deserves the benefit of the doubt. Even if Max does not have any recollections of it at all.

“I know I was selfish and stubborn. How I avoided you completely. And I tried to with Chloe. But I really wanted us to be together. All of us.” The blonde girl closes her eyes. “Max, I want to live.” Her eyes open filled with sorrow. “Save me please.”

Vanessa didn’t ask for the same thing when she communicated to Max through the phone the previous morning. Maybe she wanted her daughter to be strong and brave the future, instead of reliving an endless cycle, of an uncertain future. She indirectly entrusted Kate to be the guardian for her daughter.

The brunette dips her head down, a little ashamed. “I want to Rachel, but you know I can’t.”

“I know. You have to convince the other version of me to help you. Her power is...ridiculously powerful. And she’s not even fully aware of it all. I don’t like her taking control of my body. It’s just wrong...Even if she is me.”

Max nods her head slowly, not at all disagreeing what she is saying. “Yeah her power is insane.” Her head stops for a moment, peering deeply into the blonde’s hazel eyes. “So you don’t like it when she enters your body?”

Rachel shakes her head, “Not at all. I know she only did it that one time with you. I know what she is feeling sometimes because I been through it. At least I think so. But still...it is just...wrong. For her to invade my body. I can feel her coursing through my body. It doesn’t hurt or anything, but it still feels all your privacy is being invaded.” She lets out a sigh of frustration. “I mean I belong here, don’t I? Not her...”

“I didn’t think about it that way. I’m sorry Rachel.”

“Think about how much destruction she can do. You have to make it so she saves both, me and Chloe. But somehow tell her to never come back.” The blonde girl presses her lips tightly, with a stern look “You have to. Her emotions will destroy us all.”

The brunette looks disappointed. Words come out softly in her tight throat, “I’ll...try.”

“No, you have to.” Rachel’s voice is unrelenting. “I know you don’t remember it. Because it was my fault. But Max... I loved you. And I still do.” She flutters her eyes closed.

The brunette looks onto the peaceful blonde angel, with an anxious look. The scene slowly dissolves into a white flame.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory : Room 219

#### October 14th, 2013 8:57 AM

The scene fades from white then back to a cool darkness. She hears some low muffled noises and voice as if she is submerged underwater.

“Max?…” a soft voice filled with concern, awakens the brunette to a stir. “Max?” The voice becoming more crisp and clear.

“Mmm…” A groan slips out of her mouth, her eyes slowly open, looking up towards the bright ceiling at the blurry figure. With each blink of her eyes, the shapes in her vision coalesce more into focus. Another angel with a blonde hair-bun looks down with her warm, welcoming eyes. “Kate?” She forces the name out her tired, thick throat.

Kate does a quick wave of her hand, “Max. Good morning, umm…” She pouts her lips, looking down at the rest of the brunette’s body.

The brunette’s eyes and mouth widens, slowly looking down at her body. Finding her body to be rolled and wrapped up very tightly in the blanket.

“Yeah, you were tossing and turning. Somehow you wrapped yourself like an egg roll.” Kate presses her lips together, a soft grin emerges. “I didn’t want to say anything but then you rolled off your bed.” She presses her knuckles into her lips, muffling her adorable giggle. She kneels close to the wrapped up brunette, leaning in close. She grabs the back of her head, gently running her fingers through the brown hair, “I’m so sorry. I could have prevented this. Does it hurt?”

Max wiggles her body, getting some slack off the blanket. “I’m okay,” she lifts her neck off the ground for a moment, but then lets out a grunt of failure, falling back to the ground. There isome slight pain, as she pinches her shoulders back, to give a stretch, to help relieve the mild aching pain. “My shoulders are a little sore, but I’m okay.”

Kate gently eases the brunette up from the ground, feeling the sweat on the back of her neck. “You had a nightmare. Was thinking about waking you up, but you didn’t get much sleep since we were out so late.”

The brunette pushes aside the blanket, letting her warm, sweaty body embraces the cool morning air. Her breath shivers from the abrupt change in temperature. The reality finally sets in, reminding the event from yesterday. She murmurs quietly into the air, “Mom...Dad...”

Kate’s cheery face disappears, her mouth turns into a frown. There is nothing she can really do at this moment, other than giving a warm rub to the mourning brunette’s back. “Max, sorry...I have to get ready soon.” She looks over at the couch, at the stack of papers and brochures. They were the paper works for the funeral, including the selection of coffins, and time of service. Obviously, most of the paper works still need input from the daughter and will take a few days, but the church girl is helping with the organization of the papers and providing some insights. Trying to avoid saying certain words that will invoke more sadness into the photographer, “I will help you out later after the stand, okay? We’ll come back, here.”

The church girl gets up, leaving the brunette lying on the floor. Kate is already dressed in her usual attire, with the blue cardigan, white buttoned shirt, skirt, and her bag, all readied to go. The brunette rolls over on all fours, giving her back a stretch as well as a deep breath. She mutters, “Kate, I’ll be there. Just let me take my time, okay?”

Kate nods her head, her lips pressed tightly. “Sure thing, Max. Don’t hesitate to call, if you need anything.” She kneels back down, again, slowly pressing her cheeks into the back of the brunette’s hair. The warmth and comfort are soothing. For a moment they just held that position in complete silence.

With the car accident, the mourning hasn’t even fully sink in yet. Since then, so many things has happened, yet it only been a day. Stronger bonds have been created. If the Rachel in the other timeline is able to reset it, she will bring all the happiness in Max’s life back. As a consequence, it will undo everything that has happened since, including all the bonding moments with Kate. Along with an uncertain future. And if Rachel is unable to reset everything, the church girl will have to be the angel that will guide Max through the hard times.

“Thanks, Kate.” Max finally breaks the silence, causing the church girl to slowly pull back. “Just give me some time, I’ll meet up with you, okay?”

Kate stands back up tall, nodding her head. “Yes Max, please take your time.” She opens the door, giving one last glance at the brunette, who is still lying on her two hands, and her face is obscured. Her eyes drift down with slight melancholy, and slowly slips out the room.

Silence returns back to the room, other than the soft indistinct humming of the vents and very faint breathing sounds. Her fingers tremble like she wants to claw out the carpet from underneath her. She didn’t want the church girl to see her breakdown. Seeing her parents and Chloe again in her dream was devastating.

_I want Chloe, my Mom and Dad back. Please Rachel...Help me..._

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Prescott Dormitory : Girl’s Showers 3F

#### October 14th, 2013 9:28 AM

Max lets the hot streams of water continuously beat down her back, as she just stands motionless with a myriad of thoughts in her head. She went upstairs to the third floor which has fewer inhabitants than the other floors, for some reason. And waited for the morning rush to died down, so she can have the showers in a more peaceful setting, free of usual giggling and laughter from the other girls.

The dream she just had is a bit fuzzy but she remembers her conversation with Rachel. Now she thinks about what she could have been doing behind the scene, how many time trips she did, and how many years she lived through. Then she thinks about the other Rachel, the one that can help her.

 _“After this, I don’t think I’ll ever see you again. I hope you understand.”_ Past words from the Rachel from the other timeline echoes into her mind.

 _“What’s the point of me coming here? I’ve served my only purpose to you.”_ Her voice continues into Max’s mind. Perhaps it is true, sometimes in this world, you have to be driven by your own self-interest and worry about yourself. You can never please everyone.

 _The other Rachel...the Rachel that contacted and helped me. Will I ever see her again? What if she died trying to save Chloe’s father? No… I need her. I need her to save everyone. Mom. Dad. And Chloe._ Max pauses her thoughts, her throat thickening too much. _She wanted to help me. So it’s fine...right?_

 _“M-Max? Like...Dorky Little Max?”_ The friendly voice of that Rachel, plays in her head.

Max falls down to a squat, as the hot streams rain over her head. She grasps on the locks of hair on her head, pulling it in frustration. Eventually, some tears creep out of her eyes, running down her face, as she finally stops holding in the sorrow in her.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Main Campus

#### October 14th, 2013 10:17 AM

Max walks out of the dormitory section and into the main campus. Her fingers gripping tightly on the messenger bag, as if she needs it for that sensation of security. Inside the bag, is her journal, camera, and all the photos that she was looking at last night. The prom night picture, blue butterfly in the restroom, everything. In case, Rachel may pop up anytime, to grant her wish, she may need all the tools she can possibly get if needed. With time travel you can never be certain. Rachel could come now, tomorrow, months, years, or possibly never. She could be holding her breath, for a moment that will never come and be disappointed in the very end.

The schoolyard out in front of the brown rustic school, is filled with life. Students chattering among each other, skaters alternating turns on attempting a tre flip, football jocks playing catch. The brunette hardly even acknowledges her fellow students, not even making an attempt to put any recognizable faces on them, as her eyes remain completely focused on the concrete trail that leads to the main school entrance. She didn’t have any ear buds on, blasting her favorite Syd Matters songs, to drown out the outside world, this time. Instead, her own thoughts is enough to do that on its own.

 _The other Rachel, that I have been talking to. She may have been spawned from a miracle or maybe even a disaster of something._ The imagination for the brunette becomes more dark, as she digs into the crack for anything to wrap her confused head around. _Maybe in another timeline, all three of us were on our way to heaven, but time master Rachel didn’t want it to be the end for us. Because her and Chloe got murdered. And I possibly killed myself. But who really knows? The other Rachel, she very well could be a fake one or one that is spawned from this timeline. But at the same time...what is real? And what is fake? Maybe we are all fakes here. This could be a single damn instance out of an infinite amount of different timelines out there._

Max continues her way along the long concrete trail. She looks up into the bright sky, taking note of the two hovering moons, still looking down at her. It seems almost artificial or just an illusion, given how unreal it looks. The sound of her tennis shoes, kicking against the surface in rhythm, is the only sound that she can consciously hear in her zone. _With these two moons out, her powers is way stronger. It also doesn’t seem to trigger any tornado. Maybe my powers have some physics energy misfiring that I’m unaware of. But so far, Rachel’s power seems to be tornado-free. At least with changes that I did in the past, like giving that simple kiss to Chloe when she was dying. Shit, I was really ballsy to make that change in the past without even thinking. I couldn’t think straight at that moment, seeing her dying right in front of me. And I couldn’t even do anything about it. But nothing bad happened out of it, except everyone knows of my love for Chloe._

Max arrives at the base of the concrete stairs, looking up at the entrance. She lingers at the bottom of the steps, moving off to the side by the railing to make sure she isn’t in anyone’s way. She looks off to the far distant of the courtyard, spacing out without a care in this world.

_To save Chloe, that will be easy. I will just guard the damn door on the outside, and Nathan wouldn’t dare to come in. It’s the women’s restroom, he shouldn’t even be there in the first place. But Rachel? How do I even prevent her death? I can stop her before anything happens to her. But how early? It’s already almost half a year since her death. Nathan will definitely get away. Which maybe...not too bad, I guess? Shit. But what about Mark Jefferson? He has been doing these things even before Rachel. I could give the tip off to David Madsen where the Dark Room is. But will he even believe me? His researches are way behind back than they are now. He was suspecting Rachel for drug trafficking, and probably had a total different paranoid mindset back then. He only later became more thorough with his research starting after Rachel’s disappearance. After her death._

Max turns back towards the stairs, casually shifting the strap on the messenger bag, giving a slight relief to her aching shoulder from the weight of it. She makes her way up the flight of stairs, and through the red double doors.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - 1F

#### October 14th, 2013 10:21 AM

The hallway is filled with students engaged in conversations in their own mini circles. Some are walking in between classes as there are the 90-minute classes that start in about ten minutes. Near the entryway, there are a few stands with various different clubs, like drama, chess, video games/anime, and music. Most of these stands have several curious prospects crowding around the tables, engaging in discussion and questions. In the corner, is Kate’s lonely abstinence stand. It definitely seems to be the least popular by far, with just a beautiful redhead cheerleader and her skater boyfriend there.

Dana is crouched down, resting her chin on her flat hands on the lead-colored table of Kate’s stand. Her wide curious eyes with a perfectly intact sweet smile, as she listens with eagerness to what the church girl has to say. Right beside Dana is her boyfriend, Trevor who is standing tall, also listening with curiosity.

Kate is standing with straight posture, giving her speech to the two dedicated individuals. “...It is not about giving out promise ‘purity’ rings to tell everyone to be sexually inactive until marriage. I would never want to dictate or shame people for how they live their lives. The club is to promote awareness and have a friendly, and meaningful discussion among each other.”

Kate presses her lips together, forming a smile, as she finishes her speech. Her only two listeners give a subtle nod of acknowledgment, as the church girl’s eyes alternate between them for any further questions or comments.

Trevor scratches his head through his beanie, glancing over at his girlfriend then back at Kate. He lifts his hand, but it halts halfway up, with a confused look on his face. The church girl turns her attention to him, “Yes, Trevor?” with an inviting smile.

“I’m not sure if this is appropriate to ask…” Trevor’s eyes cower away for a moment. Dana looks up at her boyfriend with wide curious eyes.

Kate insists, bringing her hands in front of her, interlocking below her belly in a polite manner. “It is fine. I will try my best to answer it.”

“Okay.” Trevor snorts, ”Uh...what if...instead of having sex, I go jerk off instead. Is that considered sexual abstinence?”

Immediately, Dana squeezes her eyes closed in pure dismay. “Can’t believe you just said that.” Her head slips off the edge of the table, tilting forward, and burying itself in her two hands, where only her red ponytail is sticking up in the air.

Kate smiles, giggling on the inside. She tries her best to not explode into tears, trying to maintain composure.

Trevor looks at her humiliated girlfriend, “What?”

“Do you have no shame?” Dana mumbles with her face still buried.

“Well I mean…” Trevor stammering in her mouth, as he looks at the church girl for some acknowledgment. “I mean...in that context, is it not an honest question?”

“No, it isn’t wrong at all. It is a perfectly valid question.” Kate smiles, with blushing face, nodding her head to give some relief to the also red-faced skater. “The practice of…” Her eyes drift up to the ceiling, pondering the correct word. “Darn it, I can’t believe the word is just totally slipped out of my mind.”

“Jerking off?” Trevor’s eyes light up.

Kate instantly closes her eyes, with an even more reddened face and a nervous smile. “That’s not the word I want to say.” She hums in embarrassment and adorable way.

“Masturbation.” Dana suggests in a nonchalant voice, still with her head down.

“Yes, that’s it.” Kate’s face dips up, with pointing index finger in the air. “Ahem...the practice of masturbation is a great method to avoid sexual intercourse. A huge benefit of it is that it will prevent unwanted pregnancies.”

The red ponytail lowers, as Dana pulls back up. Her face reddened from embarrassment and laughter, but she nods her head calmly. “Definitely very good point.” Trevor nods his head as well, patting the back of Dana for comfort. The redhead pushes herself up, standing tall, “Well Kate, thank you so much for this.” She lets out a sunny smile, “I’m actually very interested in all this. You make an interesting point.”

“No…” Kate scurries around the table, and extends out her arms, embracing the cheerleader. “Thank you so much, Dana. It means a lot to me.”

The cheerleader squeezes her arms against the blonde girl as well, “I’m always here for you. Anytime, okay?”

“Mm-hmm,” Kate releases Dana, giving a last look at the beautiful redhead before turning to the skater.

“Yeah Kate, thanks for the talk.” Trevor nervously holds out his hand for a handshake.

“Don’t shake his hand, Kate.” The cheerleader squeals in a teasing fashion. “Now you know what he was doing this morning.”

The skater blushes, looking almost annoyed at his girlfriend, “Dana, come on!”

Kate laughs trying to break the awkward squabbling, “No it’s fine. I want to shake his hand.” She reaches to shake his hand with no hesitation, then switches to give him a hug. “Thanks, Trevor. It means so much that you came here to listen.”

Dana playfully wraps her arm around her boyfriend, looking over to sees the brunette photographer approaching them. “Max…” She leans around Trevor to get a better look. “Hey, did you sleep, alright?”

Max nods her head, trying to muster out her best smile. “I’m good, Dana. Thanks.”

Trevor turns around as well. “Maximus.” He sticks out his balled fist towards her. “You sure you’re all good?”

The brunette turns to the skater, her smile gaining a little more enthusiasm. She fist bumps the skater, “Thanks, Trevor. Yes, I am.”

Dana pulls her boyfriend, “That’s great to hear. But sorry, I’m about to be late for practices. We’ll catch up later, okay?”

Max waves off at the couple, with a soft smile. “Sure, thing.” The couple quickly dashes out of the hallway, and towards the stadium. Max, then turns her attention to the church girl, who has a content smile on her face. “Kate, I’m sorry about totally sleeping in.”

“No, you needed some good rest.” She reaches over, to fix the hipster’s hoodie jacket that is draping off her shoulder. “I’m actually glad you didn’t come earlier. I really want you to sleep in, as much as possible.”

“You have been amazing, Kate. How many people came to the stand?”

“Well…” Kate glances at the entrance where the couple just walked out of. “...you just saw all of them.”

“Oh...hey not bad.” Trying to brighten the mood. “They’re great people.”

“Mm-hmm.” The blonde angel hums peacefully, but then her face turns to be more solemn. “Max, you really should rest for the day.”

The brunette shakes her head. “No, I’m not going to be mourning. Not yet.” Kate’s eyes widen with surprise, and her eyebrows arching high. “I have to, at least think about some things, in case Rachel comes. And in that moment, we have to change everything.”

Kate’s eyes drift to the side, and she pouts her lips. “You really are counting on her to save Chloe and your parents?”

“I am…” Max stares at the gloomy church girl. There’s something upsetting her, and the young photographer knows why. The main drawback of someone else knowing about the time rewind powers is that you’re just waiting for that moment. With a snap of a finger, a section of your life will be reverted back, including your memories. “I’m sorry. I mean, I don’t know for sure about anything.”

“I’ll protect you Max-” Kate pauses, as she shakes her head in disappointment. She holds out both of her hands in despair, looking all around her, “So none of this matters?” There is a tone of hopelessness in her voice, “My memory is going to get wiped too, huh?”

“No, I mean…” Max cuts herself off as disappointment also chokes the words out of her throat. Realizing she could be wiping everything clean, including all the events and memories. “Rachel did preserve your memory somehow, but…” She sniffs her nose, “It is very far back we’re traveling, so I don’t know if we can keep you.”

“Keep me?” she asks with her eyebrow raised. It is not the best choice of words, but Kate is sympathetic. “No, I understand.” She presses her lips into a frown. There is sadness in her face, but no tears in her eyes. Not yet. “You always helped me Max. And I know you will in the future. Yet, I will never have an idea of all the things you done for me.”

“Kate, I will always protect you.”

“I know you will.” Kate nods her head, trying her best to give a warm smile. “Max, if Rachel gives you the option to go back. Please do it, okay?” Her voice is invigorating. She reaches holding both of the brunette’s hands. “But before you do it, please say goodbye to me, okay?”

The brunette looks down at the soft hands, then back up, deep into Kate’s hazel eyes. There is warmth in Max’s face, in this tender moment. She didn’t want to say goodbye. She wants her to come back with her. But like with anything in life, nothing is ever certain. She wets her lips and gulping her throat to clear it. “I will Kate. I promise.”

Right next to the two girls is an older man with blonde hair, wearing a striped button shirt that seems to be tucked in a disorderly fashioned. In his hands, he is holding a bunch of papers, almost fumbling with them. He seems a bit disorganized and lost.

“He seems a bit lost,” Kate pouts her lips, noting at the man.

“Seems that way,” the brunette turns towards the puzzled man. She approaches him, “Excuse me, do you need any help, Mister?”

“Uh, I think I may have found it.” The man looks up at the sign that says ‘Principal Ray Wells’. “I was looking for the Principal office.” He points at the sign and gives a nervous chuckle.

“Ah yes. That’s it.” The brunette returns with a nervous laughter. “I’m Max Caulfield.” She holds out her hand.

“Oh hi, Max. I’m Bradley.” He reaches out his hand, shaking the short brunette. “Bradley Amber.”

“Amber?” Max’s eyes light up in surprise. “Are you related to Rachel Amber?”

“Yes. I’m her father. I’m here to have a talk with Principal Wells.”

“Oh…” Max takes a step back, finally releasing his hand. She points at herself, “I’m friend with Chloe Price. She was a friend of Rachel.”

“Oh I heard about Chloe, too. I’m so sorry.” His eyebrows furrow with his lips pressed thin.

“Yes, it is a tough loss.” Max closes her eyes for a moment, nodding her head slowly. “We both suffered a great loss.”

“Yes, we did.”

“I know this sounds strange.” She nervously pulls up the sleeves of her hoodie jacket, as she is starting to feel warm underneath it. “But could I have your mailing address? I would like to send a card to both you and your wife. For your losses.”

“Oh you shouldn’t have to.” He shakes his head, with both his hands raised.

Max insists, “Please, I would like to. Chloe was very important to me. And Rachel was very important to her.”

“I can give you Rachel’s mother address.” Bradley pulls out a pen from his front pocket and a small tab of paper. He begins writing the address on it, as Max stares on with curious eyes. Finally, he rips out the sheet and holds it out towards the brunette.

Max, with a preoccupied face, looks blankly at the sheet of paper extended towards her. _So Rachel's parents are separated? In this timeline, her father survives... she must have cared about him greatly._ She blinks her eyes, regaining focus of her sense. She asks the casual question that is burning inside of her. “Mr. Amber, were you very close with Rachel?”

"Of course I-..." He stammers his words for a moment, giving a peculiar and curious look at the brunette. The expression of the father suddenly becomes sour, as he begins reading too deeply into Max's words. “Never mind.” He grumbles and pulls the paper back abruptly, ripping it in half and he quickly throws it into the nearby trash can. “I’m sorry I have to get going.” He walks away in an urgent fashion, opening the door that leads to the reception area of the Principal’s office and slamming it.

“Okay...Now what was _that_ all about? You asked him a legit question.” Kate repeats herself again, who has been spectating all of this. She hurries towards the brunette with confused eyes.

Max stares at the windowed door that the mourning father went through with a puzzled look. _Okay that was really weird. But judging from his facial expression, something went bad between him and Rachel._ She quickly turns towards the trash can, quickly removing the head of it, dropping it onto the ground.

“Max...what are you...” Kate looks on in horror, seeing the hipster about to dig into the trash can.

Max immediately spots the two ripped pieces, easily on top of the other trash. Thankfully, most of the trash are dry, so it isn’t too filthy. The brunette pulls it out and pieces them together. ‘Elizabeth Amber...2311 Nestucca Ave, Arcadia Bay, OR’.

_This is good to know. Just in case, I need to know the parents’ address._

Kate quickly picks up the trash can head and quickly covers it back, as it is starting to generate a small scene among the nearby students. “Max! What are you doing?”

“Kate, Elizabeth Amber, 2311 Nestucca Ave, Arcadia Bay, OR. That is Rachel’s mother and her address. Can you remember that?...” The brunette’s heart is pounding from the sudden rush. “...Nevermind. I’ll just keep this paper.” She slips the two pieces of paper into her bag, securing it somewhere in her journal notebook.

Kate blinks her eyes rapidly, slowly nodding her head. “Okay...”

“Max…” A familiar voice with disapproval in her tone.

Max turns around seeing Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney. Even with the boldness and confidence, the brunette has been slowly gaining, she is still intimidated by the sight of the three girls. The ones that bullied her and Kate. The three girls, however, shows more compassion this time around, instead of their usual conceited looks. “Umm...hey.” The best words that Max can muster up at the pit of her belly.

“What were you doing with the trash can? That’s gross…” The Queen Bee pouts her lips in disgust, scoffing.

“Uhh...Nothing.”

The snobby girl’s glaring eyes soften, sensing the reservation in the hipster. “That was Rachel’s father, isn’t it?” She points over at the Principal’s office.

“You know him?”

“I’ve seen him a few times. Heard he isn’t too great of a person.”

“Really? What did he do?”

“I don’t know.” The tall pixie-cut blonde crosses her arms, shaking her head. “Rachel just hated him.” Seems like it something Victoria sympathizes somewhat. Being disappointed or being placed under intense pressure by their parents.

“Oh…”

All the girls look at each other with awkwardness and nervousness for a short moment. Then finally Victoria speaks up, “We were going to go to the Civil Center area.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Max replies back with annoyance.

“Listen, I don’t have to tell you.” The blonde girl rubs the back of her hand onto her forehead like she is coming down with a migraine. “Nathan’s sister Kristine, is in town to see him. There is a lot of protesting going on, thinking she is there to try and bail her brother out of jail or something.” She rudely mutters in the end, “The Prescotts Power.”

The brunette’s eyes and lips widen in pure shock, “What?!?!”

“Yes!” Victoria retorts, for a second being defensive against the abrupt outcry from Max. She lets out a puff of air, to calm her nerves. “I was wondering if you were interested in skipping class and join us to see the whole fuss.”

Max still all riled up, clenches her teeth. “Yes I am, that’s beyond fucked up.” She turns around, seeing the quiet church girl who is observing the whole time. She anxiously, twists her shoe, against the squeaky tile floor. Her voice softens to almost a whisper, “Umm…”

“Just go with them.” Kate tugs on her cuffs, and she sputters, “I’ll...just...be at my stand.”

Max turns her body to face her, “Kate, this is important to you, too.” She pauses, sensing the uneasiness in her body language and realizing she may be pushing too hard on her friend. “Oh…”

Taylor clenches her fist and takes a deep breath, taking a step towards the fragile church girl. “Kate, we can fit five people in Victoria’s car. You’re…” Her voice gets cut out, probably her anxiety is choking the air out of her lungs. She takes a breath and continues, “...welcome to join us, if you like.”

“I’m okay.” Kate replies quickly, trying to remain cordial, but getting impatient. “I’ll just… go by later.”

“No, I…” Victoria steps forward but immediately freezes her path, unable to give direct eye contact to the church girl. Knowing what she did to her and the suffering she has caused.

Max walks up close, only a few inches from Kate’s face, so the other girls can’t hear her. “Kate, I’m here for you. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll stay here with you.”

Kate’s eyes glances to the side, her throat is getting tight all of the sudden. “It’s just that Victoria...she is the one recorded and uploaded the video. You even said it. She hasn’t even admitted to it, yet. But I’m still very upset at her for that.” She gulps her thick throat, to give it some relief. “I have to put up with many things with bullies at this school, as well as my family. I don’t bring up the suffering I’m having, because you are going through your own suffering, as well. I don’t want you to worry about me. But I just need some time...”

“Katie...umm.” Victoria pops up right behind Max’s shoulder. Her eyes are apologetic, despite unable to maintain constant contact. “I’m sorry for everything. We can offer you a ride there and back. It’s more of a gesture because we know you went through a lot with everything. And to find out about Nathan…” She also in deep distress that her good friend Nathan, has committed murder and partaken in such terrible acts with Jefferson. She tries her best to squash her frustration and remaining positive and objective, “What I’m trying to say is you can accept our ride but you can still keep hating us. And you don’t have to even say a single thing to us either if you don’t want.” She lets out a sigh, and her voice became more sincere and calm. “We deserve it and we’re very sorry.”

Kate glares at Victoria with some bitterness and obstinacy, but her expression lightens up looking at her brunette friend. She whispers to her, “I’ll do it, Max. But only because I’m interested in the commotion. I can’t talk or look at them in the eyes. So please be close to me.” She reaches her hands out. Almost instinctively, the brunette interlocks her fingers with the tormented blonde girl. A faint grin emerges from Kate from the affection.

Max looks at her, deep into her eyes, “I will Kate. Thanks. I also want to talk to Victoria about Rachel. See if I can learn anything more.”

The subtle grins disappear from Kate. She presses her lips tightly together, wetting them. “Max, you are really hoping for that, huh?” She nods her head with affirming eyes. With each nod, her head slowly starts draping down. “I mean I understand. But…” She closes her eyes for a moment. “I really want to be with you, Max. Six months that’s…” She blows out a puff of air through her nose. “Gosh, it’s almost like the apocalypse. The end of the world can happen anytime. All it takes is just your command.” She looks up with almost frightened eyes.

Max stammers, “I...I don’t know what to say. I mean, I’m not even sure if she’ll come back to me. Or hell, even listen to me.”

“You don’t have to say anymore about it. Again, Max. Please tell me first before you go back, okay?”

Max nods her head solemnly. “I will, Kate.”

Kate lets out a smile, to put light on the dark topic. “I’ll go pack up this stand real quick.”

“Let me help you…”

“I’m good. Thanks, Max. It’s not much.” She quickly stacks a couple of notebooks, and collects all the pens and pencils, storing them in a pencil box. She peels out the large paper that said ‘Abstinence Club’, and rolled it up in a hurried fashioned. “See, I’m all done.”

“Cool.” Max smiles, nodding her head. “Yeah, we’re ready to go.” She gives a soft nudge to the church girl’s arm. “Both of us.”

If the other Rachel does come back to this timeline, just with a snap of her fingers. Not just one day, or one week, but possibly six months can all be reset. For a chance to make a better tomorrow for the trio, and Max’s parents. The price to pay is a reset of an angel, who Max only knew for less than two months but since then, has guided her through her darkest times. She would be the backup plan if things go awry. She would be the angel to guide Max through her growing pains and lasting depression, to ensure she will live a long happier life. But still, she is just a backup plan. In the grand scheme of things, it is a small price to pay, when you could have your best friend, and your parents back in exchange of wiping out Kate’s memory. Rachel did preserve her memory on time, but it may not be possible with an extended rewind the spans either from a week or a six months.

And top of all that, there’s Rachel. Chloe’s lover. The myth. Just like William’s death, nothing can ever be certain anymore once you change something that far back. Nathan and Jefferson may not be punished for their crime. Instead, something else could seep in, to alter the course of fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Finally back to Max's timeline, and more familiar settings. One of my personal gripes with the story, is not really including any minor characters. I did it earlier with Dana, and would like to expand it more to a few others. So this chapter was a good opportunity to build upon it.
> 
> Max is still in hope that she will get that opportunity to rewind back. Still very detached from reality and hardly even mourning for her parents. Instead, she more focused on gathering information for Rachel for whenever she is coming, if ever. Nothing is ever certain, as Max isn't aware of the other Rachel's mental state, too.
> 
> Anyways, hopefully this is a nice break from the previous angst chapters. Please leave any feedback, comments or anything you want to talk about.


	17. Rain

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay Civic Center

#### October 14th, 2013 11:43 AM

The dark clouds begins sweeping in, slowly filling the sky, showing signs that rain may soon drench the town later today. The five girls skips out on the rest of the school day with hardly any hesitation, riding in Victoria’s new Mercedes S65 heading straight to the downtown section of Arcadia Bay. The spacious luxury interior of the car, along with the smooth humming of the ride, makes it a rather pleasant feel, despite being at capacity. But perhaps, a little too smooth, as the entire ride is mostly an awkward silence or the occasional nervous one liners. Strange as some of the passengers are some of the biggest gossipers of Blackwell Academy. Despite the lack of confrontation for an apology, the group remains somewhat cordial with each others.

Upon arriving at the parking lot of the civic center, there were already a big crowd swarming at entrance of the police station. The doors were blocked off by a measly amount of officers, that seems like mere sand bags defending against a tsunami. There were constant shouting and hollering, people carrying signs that says ‘Prescott Corruption is Arcadia Bay’s Pollution’ or ‘The Law Cannot be Trusted With Prescotts in Town’ just to name a few. There were some smaller crowds that looks rather suspicious, gathering around some parked police cruisers. Possibly contemplating about vandalizing or starting a fire if unfavorable news arrive to them.

The Mercedes parks at a good isolated location from the mob, as each of the girls get out in with exhilaration.

Taylor shields her eyes from the blinding sun, surveying the distant. “Do you really think we should join them?”

The five girls gazes at the shouting mob with pressed lips and puppy dog eyes. They were rather subdued by the overwhelming behaviors of the crowd. They never have seen anything like this before in the normally peaceful hick town of Arcadia Bay.

“Let’s…” Victoria stretches her voice for a measure, her head hovering over to the nearby structures, “...check out those buildings, _next_ to the police station.” She points towards the tall, wood-textured building that could function as a safer spectating haven. She paces for the building, followed by her two cronies.

Max secures the messenger bag on her shoulder and looks back at the timid, blonde church girl who has been practically mute the entire car ride. She reaches out her hand with an inviting smile, “Come on Kate, let’s see if there’s anything interesting.”

Kate looks at the extended hand from the kind brunette, then her usual smile reemerges back. They interlocks their fingers together, pulling herself closer to the bolder brunette. “Sure.”

Max lets out a nervous smile, with her teeth showing, closing her eyes and rubbing the back of her neck. “We may not find anything interesting, but my mind does feel better getting away from that school.” She continues to walk, still holding onto the sweet blonde’s hand. The thought that everything could have been different last night if it weren’t with the help with Rachel’s rewind, to preserve the church girl’s memories. Could things went a much different route? Kate did go chasing after Max, like the perfect guardian angel she is. Rachel’s rewind also did allow the church girl to believe the unbelievable supernatural powers, which must be crushing for her. But despite all that, Max is grateful. Smiling, she squeezes her fingers tighter, “I’m very glad you’re here with me.” They both picks up the walking pace, still maintaining eye contact.

Kate smiles back, her face feeling flush with affection, “You can always count on that, Max.”

The two stragglers speeds up again to a dash, to keep up with the other girls in the lead.

They approach the base of the stairs, leading to the elevated section with the police station and government buildings. The girls patter their way up the stone steps of the civic center, at varying distances from the top.

Courtney is leading the pack, as she halts in her track, turning around to wave at her pixie haircut friend, “Come on Victoria!” She turns back forward, pointing at the building with the sign ‘Children & Family Services’, that is a short but safe distance from the angry crowd.

Instead of heeding her friend’s request, Victoria instantly stops, unlocking her phone with a new objective. “Hold on...let me post this on my status-” A man interrupts her by rudely pushing her from behind, then proceed to join with the crowd. “Owww! Fucker!” The blonde immediately clenches her phone to secure it, glaring at the brash individual.

“Fuck Prescotts!” The rowdy man with not a single care in his mind, shouts on top of his lungs, his voice joining the noisy crowd ahead of him. “We need to hang them all! Our city and school is unsafe!”

Max grips her right hand in an inconspicuous manner, sensing the vortex flow of time, within her fingertips. Startled from the wild behavior of the crowd and paranoia, she stays in alert, as if she is ready to rewind if something disastrous could happen any moment. After what Jefferson did to her and Chloe in the junkyard, her apprehensive senses is heightened.

Her muscles is tensed, resisting from unleashing her powers, as she drags her legs up the steps, to keep up with the other girls.

Victoria scoffs at the reckless remarks from the protestor, “Little do they know, that the Prescotts are funding Blackwell Academy.” She switches her attention to her friend near the top of the steps. She mumbles under her breath as she catches up, “Without them, the school will shut down.”

Still breathing heavily from the running, Taylor catches a moment to glance over at the tall blonde with concerned eyes. “Do you think Blackwell Academy is going to close down?”

Victoria reaches the top, “Shit, I hope not. I spent too much time and money here.”

The girls quickly enters the glass door entrance of the tall government building, seeking shelter from the nearby commotion.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Children & Family Services Building

#### October 14th, 2013 11:48 AM

The government building provides several services for children and family wellness, foster care, parenting advisement, and more, is somewhat void of life and sound, with the exception of the muffled yelling from the ruckus happening outside. The footsteps of the girls’ shoes creates a continuous drumming echoes across the tall building with its tile flooring. They were still in that awkward silence state, so wandering aimlessly and exploring seems like the temporary remedy for it at this very moment. There were a handful of employees going with their usual routine and duty, and a couple of hushed protesters that were standing around, awkwardly with their signs, like as if they were waiting for someone or taking a break with their lungs.

The group passes the foster care section where they see a middle aged man talking with the lady behind the counter. The man seems to be applying to be a legal guardian or foster parent.

The lady puts on her glasses, reading the form. “So Ted… Ted Moreno, right? I see that you’re a nurse working at Arcadia Bay Hospital, correct?”

“Yes, I am.” The man nods his head with a grin. “I’ve been working there for over five years. I love helping people, including kids.” He gives out another persuading smile, as the lady’s eyes returns back to the paper, continuing to read his application.

Ted makes a glance towards the group of girls. His eyes instantly locks in at the conservative church girl, who returns with polite eye contact. His eyebrow arches in surprise, as his eyes traces down to her chest. The sight of the two soft curves, protruding outwards from the white buttoned shirt, quickens his breaths.

“So you do know Audrey Jefferson’s father is Mark Jefferson, correct? And you are aware of the allegations surrounding him?” The lady fumbles between a few sheets of paper of his application. Ted is still enchanted by the sight of Kate, not immediately responding to the question. The church girl spots this, with a sudden rush to her head, her eyebrows arches, and nostril flaring. She shuffles her arms upward, to cover up the apparent exhibition of her body, returning with a glare.

Ted snaps out of it, and quickly turning his attention back to the lady. “Y-y-yes, I am aware. That does not stop me at all. I feel very bad for the poor little child. I will treat her well.”

“Yes, I’m afraid most people are not as sympathetic as you are, even her own family. You are the only person that has filed for legal guardianship for her. It is a very noble thing you are doing.”

Kate walks passed him, continuing to give a disapproval stare. Overhearing the news that he is applying to take in custody of the little girl, her face winces, pouting her cheeks and lips in disgust. She reaches and grab the young hipster’s side, halting her, as well as the other girls. Not expecting to get the attention of the other nosy girls, she leans in close to Max, so the others can’t hear. “Max, usually I don’t like giving prejudgment to anyone without at least getting to know them first. But that person that is filing for foster care for Jefferson’s daughter. Well, he doesn’t seem very...pleasant.” Kate struggles, not letting her emotions bleed into her words.

Max’s eyebrow raises with curiosity, “What do you mean, Kate? Jefferson’s...daughter?” The brunette’s eyes flare up. “He has a daughter?”

“Yeah, I mean it was a secret before, because he never shared anything about himself. But when he got arrested, more of his personal life got exposed. And some media did ask about who is the legal guardianship for Audrey, the daughter. Because her mother is dead, and no other family members is willing to accept the daughter of a psychopath.” Kate flutters her eyes closed, nodding gently. “Especially Jefferson’s connection with a notorious reputation family like the Prescotts, just seems like asking for a death sentence to be remotely involved with them.”

 _Shit, that week that flown by...I’m totally unaware of anything I learned with developments in regard to Jefferson and Nathan. Then with the death of Chloe and my parents, I have been avoiding the internet and people, as well._ “So the mother is dead?” Max makes a rather incautious glance towards the man, “And that guy is applying to be a legal guardian for his daughter? He must be very brave.”

“...Or sick,” Kate mutters with bitterness and distaste.

“Hmph…” Victoria’s eyebrow furrows, as she rests her hand on her hips. Clearly, the other girls were able to eavesdrop into at least part of the conversation. “We should not have that much sympathy for that girl.” Kate boldly turns her attention at the tall blonde with pressed lips. The intimidation from the smaller blonde girl sends a swift strike into Victoria’s prideful expression, “I-...I-I’m…” She stammers for a moment before finally organizing the words at the back of her throat. “There is rumors that she could be an accomplice with her father, even with the kidnapping of Rachel.”

Taylor chimes in, “Yeah I did hear about that from the media and as well from some people. Do you think it’s true?”

Victoria scoffs, “Of course she is probably getting a freebie because she’s a little girl. Or maybe some Prescott corrupt-...”

The door opens abruptly, silencing the bold tone of the tall blonde girl, as they all turn their attentions. A male police officer walks out, followed by a small brunette girl with a bob haircut, walking close behind him The little girl is grasping tightly a red stuffed animal of an Asian-style dragon. Kind of looks like Mushu from the Disney’s Mulan. The girl freezes with frightened doe eyes, at the sight at all the daunting gazes at her, that the stuffed dragon almost slips out of her fingers.

“Murderer!” one of the idling protesters break the silence with his abrupt roar, but he remains stationary in a lazy fashioned.

Kate spreads her hands out at the little girl, with a welcoming smile. She mutters softly, barely louder than a whisper, “It’s okay…” It is almost like Kate wanted to give the little girl a hug.

The little girl cowers behind the police officer, quickly walking through another restricted area door. She maintains curious eye contact with Kate until the door slams behind her.

Max looks at the closed door, then turns her attention to Kate, who is showing some signs of disappointment and pity, “Is that Audrey?”

Kate pouts her lips in defeat, “Yeah, that’s her. They usually keep the identity and photos of personal family members a secret. But for some reason, there was a picture of Audrey that got leaked out onto the internet very recently.” She tugs on the sleeves nervously, pondering about it. “I know her father did unspeakable things. But I don’t think she should suffer because of his actions.” She looks at her brunette, with apprehension. “I think someone wants to get revenge on Jefferson, by targeting Audrey.”

Max digests the words from Kate in silence. _The bleeding still continues. It doesn’t end with Chloe and Rachel. Even though Kate is a victim at the hands of Jefferson, she shows compassion and sorrow for the suffering of his daughter._ She looks at the closed door where Audrey walked through, staring blankly at it. _Knowing Kate’s kindheartedness, she would probably want to take care of Audrey. Possibly making her a target, as well… Fuck, nothing is ever right._

Victoria squeezes her eyes into a sharp bitter gaze, bursting out in anger, “Well, who wouldn’t want to get revenge on that fucking creep?”

Max remains a rather calm expression, despite hearing all these new developments. “Kate, do you have that picture?”

Kate pulls out her phone, fiddling with it, “I can look it up again...”

“I got it!” Courtney pulls out her phone, walking towards the brunette, halting Kate’s progress. The church girl presses her lips together with some melancholy in her expression, as the dark hair girl holds her phone up. Clearly, she is preoccupied with Audrey and her fate.

Max leans over looking at Courtney’s phone. It is a rather low quality photo, but it is clear enough. It is a selfie picture of both Rachel and Audrey, both with a genuine sunny smile. Audrey is also holding the red dragon stuffed animal that she was holding just now. _They both looks very happy. Rachel looked like a big sister to Audrey. Where is the picture taken? Looks like they went out somewhere._

A faint humming rings into the young photographer’s head, as the color on Rachel’s face slowly distorts to a decayed green, as an odd sensation that feels like fingers trickling on the back of her neck. Max lets out a soft cry, frightening the girls around her, as she takes a step back, burying her face into his hands. “Shit...sorry,” her voice muffled through her palms.

_What the hell was that? It just felt like I was hallucinating something. Am I being possessed or is my mind just playing tricks on me now?_

Before Kate can comfort the brunette, Max reveals her face taking a deep breath. Nonchalantly, she continues as if nothing happened, “Do you really think Audrey had something to do with Rachel’s death?”

Victoria blinks her eyes rapidly a few times, slightly freaked out by the abrupt behavior. She looks at her two minions with a puzzled look, then shrugging her shoulders. “Okay...I don’t know. I just remembered Rachel had issues with her father. And judging from that picture, she probably bonded very well with Audrey. Maybe they both sought each other’s company.”

The desperation in Max’s voice begins picking up. “Tell me about Rachel. I know you knew her.”

Victoria throws her hand up in frustration, “Rachel was a total slut.”

After the statement, there is a brief moment of silence as all the girls just look at each other in silence. Only Victoria actually met Rachel, while the rest never knew her. Kate, clenches her fists, her arms tremble with determination. She stiffens her posture, speaking towards the tall blonde bully, “Come on, she’s dead. She got murdered. Betrayed and drugged by Nathan who was supposed to be a good friend to her. Can you at least pretend to show some respect for her, Victoria?”

The awkward silence that was looming earlier, has slowly faded away as the fragile church girl is becoming more confident against the Queen Bee. Instead of hiding herself in absolute sorrow and despair with the aftermath of the Vortex Club video leak, she remains assertive. Maybe it is because she is indirectly familiar with the Rachel from the other timeline. And the need defend her for the sake of Max’s quest for intel gathering. Or the news of her own downward spiraling fate in the other timelines due to bullying and depression. With this knowledge, courage have been instilled to the small blonde girl in this timeline.

Max agrees with the church girl, “Kate’s right. She didn’t deserve to die.”

“I know…” Victoria blurts out quickly, her eyes drifting away in defeat. She takes a step back, twisting her shoe nervously onto the tile floor. Her two cronies look at Her Highness, who is showing signs of weakness. The whole situation with Nathan and Jefferson has hurt her deep down inside, humbling herself.

More and more questions were bubbling up into Max’s stomach as she approaches the Queen Bee, “Can I talk to you? In private?” She says in a stern voice.

The tall girl’s eyes lazily drifts to the shorter brunette girl. Then she looks at Taylor and Courtney who also had some uneasy looks, but it didn’t phase Victoria too much. “Fine...Max.” She agrees easily.

Victoria makes her way to a more secluded section of the building. Max quickly walks towards the church girl whispering to her, “Kate, sorry I’m going to step away and asks a few questions. You okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” Kate hums with a friendly tone, despite the short heated confrontation earlier, “I’ll just go for a little stroll around here, then.”

Max nods her head, then hastily catches up to Victoria, not giving her any reason to be upset with her slight tardiness. The two were isolated in one side of the building where all types of blank legal forms and documents were being held, but no one else were filling out anything, giving privacy to the two girls. Despite Kate implying she would be wandering by herself, the other three girls were making their way back, towards the entrance with the ruckus outside of it.

Victoria crosses her arms, glancing back at the hipster then away, nervously tapping her feet again. “Look Max…” You can tell there were many things on her mind already, that she’s yearning to say. “I didn’t really know Chloe Price that well. I know she flunked out of Blackwell Academy. And I know she hung out with Rachel a lot.” She closes her eyes, filling her tense lungs with oxygen, to calm her nerves. “I know Chloe hated me, and probably convinced Rachel to believe I’m a royal bitch.”

“Why are you telling me this, now?” Max asks in an unfriendly tone, struggling to find the reasoning behind this.

“Cause…” She clenches her teeth in frustration, but possibly to bit her own tongue from spreading her crankiness and irritation. She takes another deep breath, looking deeply into Max’s eyes. “Chloe and Rachel were two people that were on my bad side. I counted them out of my life and hated them. Those two same people, were also murdered by the two people that I trusted or absolutely admired.” She rubs the back of her tense neck, “I just don’t fucking know what to believe anymore…”

“Me too.” Max crosses her arms, nodding her head solemnly. “Victoria, I know this is personal. But can you tell me if you had any serious issues with Rachel? And please tell me why.”

“Why should I tell you, Max? It is nothing I’m proud of, especially after everything that has happened. It is personal.”

“She was very important to Chloe. Basically, she was the replacement best friend for me, when I was away in Seattle.”

“Why does this even matter, though?”

“Please, Victoria. I just want to know. Anything you can tell me about her. How she interacted, and so on.”

Victoria closes her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and slowly letting out in a smooth exhale. “She... she was someone I really admired. We got along pretty well at first, and she was in the Vortex Club. Rachel had everything. Well almost everything. She was beautiful, outgoing, and she just got along with everyone. Even Nathan. He looked up to her that even I got jealous.” Her voice is calm and sincere. “But then I heard she was possibly having something on the side with Mark Jefferson.” She blinks her eyes rapidly for a moment, wetting them. “I don’t know if it has something to do with her broken relationship with her father. But Rachel seemed like she was trying to do some soul searching on her own.”

The brunette waits for a moment, to see if Victoria will tag something rude and offensive at the end of the sentence, like calling Rachel a ‘slut’ or ‘whore’. But the Queen Bee didn’t. Max rubs her knuckles at her chin, thinking about it, “Something bad must have happened between her and her father…” 

_She went all the way back to reset her entire life. Her entire life. Just to save her father. Someone that she loved and looked up to, and shaped her to become a different person than that other Rachel from the other timeline. Then something happened between her and her father. Then after all that, there were no more correct paths to go anymore. Shit, Rachel. I’m so sorry..._ A void forms in the pit of her stomach, thinking of all the pain and disappointment that Rachel had to endure. To live through two timelines, and then at the end, to be crestfallen and empty-handed. “Do you know what happened? Anything?”

“I know they’re not divorced, yet. But he had to move out the house. Maybe he cheated or something.” The blonde shakes her head profusely, “Rachel told me that she would tell me one day. But before she did, we started to fall apart from each other. She wore many faces, Max. I could never read anything with that girl. Never anything certain. She seems to be happy all the time, but I feel she could be hiding something. Maybe she didn’t care about what people think of her, or maybe she was just great at hiding it. I know I said bad things about Rachel, being jealous about her and everything.” She lets out a soft sigh, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. “But I never truly hated her. She was a great person. She was very good to Nathan, too.” It is getting more tense her to talk, as more sorrow is showing in her tone. “I remembered the few times I threatened to tell everyone else about her relationship with Mark, but I never did. Thinking back, if I did tell someone...Would she still be alive?”

In the previous timeline, Victoria was showing remorse for Kate’s suicide attempt. This time, she is showing to be humane and compassionate with Rachel. Max mutters quietly, the only words she can think of, trying to ease the stress from the blonde, “We can never be certain about anything.”

“Nathan too...He was a great guy. I looked the other way with many things with him. He had a very messed up father, and couldn’t handle the pressure from him or his family. His mental health just kept spiraling downwards. I just stood there, giving him some sugarcoated bullshit that everything is alright. That ‘I will still care about you no matter what you become’. But I would never guess something like this would happen.”

Max fidgets a little, thinking about the ill Prescott. “I feel bad for Nathan. I know he had issues. And so did Chloe. But I feel so empty now, because he took away my best friend.”

“I know, Max. I totally understand.” The blonde glances over the direction of the girls, or maybe she is looking at the crowd outside. “Kristine, escaped the claws of the Prescotts by joining the Peace Corps. I remember Nathan mentioning he was extremely upset that she abandoned him.”

Max thinks back when she was looking at Nathan’s computer, remembering the email sent from Kristine in Brazil. “I bet...” _She seems like a sweet person. Someone that was close to her brother. Someone that kept him sane from his crazy family. She probably went against her parents’ wishes and broke off from them, to pursue her own goals and life. But as a result, the family may have put all their hopes onto Nathan. With Kristine leaving, Nathan was on a one-way trip to hell._ The thought of Nathan and Kristine sends a tingle of sorrow into her body. Some people in life, just need someone else to complete them. Otherwise, they will just keep falling, until they’re finally gone and forgotten from this unforgiving world.

Max looks at the blonde angel that always held on. _Kate is still with me. Even if she going to face more bullying and the wrath of her parents, I will always be there for her. And I know she will be there for me. Always._ Gazing at the beautiful angel, reminds her of something else on her mind. She turns to the tall blonde, “You uploaded the video of Kate onto the internet, didn’t you?”

The blonde girl’s eyes open sharply, for a moment, then she squints her eyes. She didn’t seem to be showing any signs to be defensive about it. Given how she was admitting her wrongness to Kate earlier, she was about to come out clean with this news eventually. “I did. And I haven’t told her.” She glances at Kate, who appears as a silhouette to the contrasting doorway, looking small and fragile against the mob outside. “But I think she knows.”

Max mutters in a quiet voice, “That was…” The tall blonde’s body flinches, like she is bracing from the impact. Hurtful words coming from the smaller hipster would be justified at this point. Instead Max, continues in a calm tone, “Not cool what you did to her.”

“I...took it down immediately when I heard that Nathan and Jefferson did...stuff to her.” Victoria presses her lips thin, her eyes lower, showing some genuine, apologetic expression. “But someone made a copy or something and posted it back up.”

Max continues her drilling against the helpless girl, “And of course everyone love to have a good laugh at the expense of someone else.”

“I’m a teenager at an art school. I’m not perfect.”

“Far from it.”

Finally, the blonde stands up straight, trying to muster all her confidence back, “Listen, if you’re going to keep talking-”

Max interrupts with a stern voice, “Apologize to her.” Victoria’s eyebrows twitch, listening to the scolding tone of the hipster’s mouth. “You talk about you have pressures from your own family. Imagine what it is to be like Kate right now. To have your family and church community to just turn their backs on you. They don’t care about reasons or anything on why or how she got drugged. Kate should not have suffered from the public shaming you guys did. Apologize to her.”

“Max…H-h”

“Victoria, you know Kate is a good person. She was just trying to be open minded to explore in life and give the Vortex Club party a shot. Did she deserved to be get drugged? Then kidnapped by her fellow classmate and teacher. The teacher that she volunteered to be an assistant of? To be drugged, and taken pictures and exploited to do who knows what. Did she really deserve all that?” The brunette’s tone is unrelenting. “She, very well could have died and became the next Rachel Amber. Then after all of that, get posted on the internet for the entire world to see of this vulnerable moment of hers. To be humiliated and bullied every day about it. I know she is hiding this from me, but I know for a fact her family is probably about to banish her and her community is twisting the knife into her heart.”

Victoria takes a step back, overwhelmed with extreme guilt from the words. She presses both her palms against her face, letting out a sigh. She runs her fingers, pulling and yanking on her short hair in disappointment. She, then quickly marches across the building towards the small church girl, that is standing in awe at the sight of the crowd.

Victoria slows her pace down when the church girl senses her, turning around, seeing the two girls rejoining them. “Kate…” The church girl looks back with her wide hazel eyes. Victoria’s posture weakens seeing the oddly inviting presence of Kate. “I’m so sorry about posting the video. Shit...I screwed up big time.”

Kate’s eyes widen for a second, but then resets back. Her mouth opens for a moment, wanting to say something. She already knew Victoria is responsible for the video, but still shocked that she would get a genuine apology from the bully.

“Oh hi!” A woman’s chirpy voice breaks the silence, as they look behind the table counters. “I saw you yesterday. Again, my name is Melissa with the Coastal Mortuary. And also again, my condolences to your father and mother. They were good people.” It is the lady from the police station that handed brochures to Kate, for the death of Max’s parents. She is spewing regurgitated words, and carrying a bunch of binders in her arm. She walks towards the church girl, “By the way, have you gotten a chance to look at the brochures that I handed to you?”

Victoria’s eyes widen, covering her mouth, “Mortuary?” She turns sharply at the little blonde girl, “Katie…?”

Kate shakes her hand, trying to shoo her away. Her face is in disgust, unable to maintain any eye contact. “No, you got the wrong person.”

“Did I?” The lady says in a loud, with false apologetic tone. “Oh, that’s right it is you.” She points at Max.

“No, it not her.” Kate’s voice interrupts, with heightened irritation. “Please just leave us alone, okay?”

The lady continues with the fake voice, “Did I come at the wrong time?”

Kate snarls, showing her teeth and ferocity in her eyes, “Get out!” She points in the opposite direction of the lady, attempting to drive her away.

The lady jumps in place, grasping at her chest. She scoffs, and hastily scrambles away from terrifying church girl.

The burst of anger has left the sweet angel huffing and puffing, as her heart is pounding inside her chest, from defending Max.

The sound of the doorway opens behind them. For a moment, the crowd gets loud, along with the sound of rain crashing into the ground. A man’s voice calls out, “Max?”

The adrenaline still coursing rapidly in her veins, “What?!?” Kate turns around with wide fierce eyes, bearing her fangs, and her nose twitching from her tense cheeks. Her fingers were digging into her hair, tugging some loose locks off from her bun. Then her face went immediately pale, her body recoiling. She squeaks like a mouse, “David?”

The tall ex-soldier stands with a firm stance, with a serious but a soft hint of sadness to his face. He is wearing his dark blue jacket and cap, a little wet from the rain outside. The other girls looks on, in horror as they are all were caught ditching school. David, however quickly turns his attention to the young photographer, “Max...can I talk to you for a second?”

_Yes, David! I can talk to him about his investigations. Maybe he had some slight suspicion about Prescotts and Jefferson back then. And he might know where the Prescott barn is, to locate the Dark Room._

Max nods her head, as questions for the security guard begins seething in her body. She quickly moves to the secluded part of the building, away from the other girls.

So focused on her investigation for Rachel, Max quickly breaks the silence, “David...can you tell me about your research about Rachel and Jefferson? How much did you knew when she first disappeared back in March? Did you have any leads or anything…?”

David is a bit shocked from the randomness of the sudden questions. “Max, that wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about…”

“David, please I want to know. Tell me.”

“What does this have to do with anything?”

Max insists, “Just tell me.”

He lets out a sigh, head drooping down. With disappointment in his tone, “No, I have to admit, I didn’t know what was going on. I think I was thinking Rachel was smuggling drugs for Frank Bowers for the students. But I had absolutely nothing at the time against the Prescotts or Jefferson. It was months later, until I started suspecting something.”

“I see…” Max’s eyes drifts down in disappointment. _Just what I figured. He didn’t know anything until after Rachel’s death. He probably didn’t even know where the barn was. Even if I go back in time, he not gonna trust a simple text or phone call from me, if he had zero incentive or suspicion on Nathan or Jefferson. The Dark Room is monitored by cameras too, he may end up risking his life, if he is not careful. Jefferson and Nathan is going to get away..._

“Max...is that all?” The security asks in a calm voice.

“Yeah, for now. I guess.” Max stares off into the distant.

David nods his head. “Good. Now back to what I was going to talk to you about. I heard about yesterday. With your parents.” Max’s face immediately weakens, her lips pressed together into a frown. “Are you okay?” 

Her train of thoughts for her investigation halts, as the cold reality strikes her. A crushing amount of sadness overwhelms her body, as her legs suddenly gives out beneath her. 

David dips down, catching her, wrapping his arms around her slender frame, “Max, it’s alright. Let it all out.”

Max sobs into his jacket, as he pats on her back, comforting her. For a while, she’s still in complete denial about the death of her parents and even Chloe. Never finding any time to even mourn for them. Think they can just come back anytime with either her own powers or Rachel’s. But it seems no matter what timeline it is, there is going to be suffering. There is nothing but crushing guilt and regrets. Maybe at the end of the road, there is no bittersweet closure, even for a hero. She lets out all this feeling at once, tears soaking her cheeks. “I miss them, David. I’ve been trying to wrap my head with everything.” She could barely talk through her sobbing, as she buries her face against his neck.

David takes a deep breath, pushing out his thick throat, as he tightens his grip on the small brunette. “I can’t even sleep at night, thinking what I could have done for Chloe. Joyce also has not been doing well. I didn’t want to leave her today, especially after I told her about your parents.” Probably one of his biggest fear for David, is the failure of protecting someone he loves. Losing Chloe like this has taken a toll on him, for her to be murdered right under his nose. Tears were starting to form in the corner of his eyes, as it is becoming more difficult to push the words out of his throat. “Vanessa and Ryan were good friends with Joyce. She wants you to visit her, now. Can you do that, Max?”

Max tries to catching her breaths, coughing as it is difficult to talk. She barely squeezes out her tight throat. “I will, David.”

David pulls away, but still holding onto the brunette, so their teary eyes meet. “You can always come to me with anything, okay? Me and Joyce. You got that?”

Max nods her head, as she squeezes her eyes to release another stream of tears. “Thanks, David.” She mutters softly. David forces out a soft smile, nodding his head.

Suddenly, the commotion outside begins getting loud, as someone shouts on the top of his lungs, “I see Kristine!”

The couple of gunshots rings in the air, along the sound of shattering glass. The four school girls falls to the ground immediately. David quickly dives, knocking and pinning Max down to the ground, to protect her. Immediately, he stands back on his feet, pulling out his handgun from his holster and makes his way outside the building.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Outside Price Residence

#### October 14th, 2013 1:59 PM

The car ride is almost as quiet this time, as it was before. The sound of the water being carried by the tires, as well as the rain falling against the window. But the girls were all silent. They’re heading to Chloe’s house from the civic center, which Victoria offered to drop off both Max and Kate to see Joyce. The church girl is still shaken up from the death, sobbing softly into the brunette’s shoulder. Max’s eyes were holding in some tears, as she gently brushes the sides of the church girl. The other girls were staring blankly out the window with soft sobs in their throat, as Victoria grips the steering wheel with tension, in again with disbelief.

Earlier, Kristine Prescott passed through a large window in the hallway of the police station. A gunman opened fire at her from the crowd, shooting several rounds. All the shots missed Kristine, but one of the police officer escorting her got struck in the leg. The shooter quickly tried to blend through the crowd to escape, but without success. As a last cowardly act, he crouched down and grabbed a young woman as a hostage, beginning a confrontation with the police officers. Sensing the declining mental stability of the gunmen, the hostage attempted to break free, resulting the gunman to fire at the back portion of her neck. When she fell forward, exposing the shooter, the police returned fire instantly, killing the gunman. 

The bullet clipped through the back of the spinal columns of the victim’s, avoiding the carotid arteries. The paramedics arrived at the scene within moments, saving the victim’s life. But there may be enough injury to the spinal cord to render the woman quadriplegic.

Max desperately wanted to rewind time, seeing the young woman may follow the same path as the alternate timeline Chloe, where she was bounded to a wheelchair. Max had flashbacks of her cranking the IV to euthanize her best friend in that timeline. But instead, she just stare on, wanting to do something, but she couldn’t.

Not much information is known about the shooter. Maybe it was a hitman or a very disgruntled citizen that hated the Prescotts. There is a huge unrest in Arcadia Bay, that will probably never go away. The tensions between the town and the Prescotts continues to grow.

The car arrives at the driveway of Chloe’s house. The two girls gets out of the back seat, walking around towards the driver’s side.

The window pulls down, and Victoria rests her arm out of it. Her crying subsides to a mere sniffing of the nose. 

“Thanks Victoria,” Max glances over her shoulder, where the Kate is resting her forehead in an adorable way. She is still very upset about the whole incident.

Victoria’s eyes drift to the fragile church girl, then back to the brunette, nodding her head softly, “If you need anything...even a ride to get back to Blackwell Academy. Give me a call, okay?”

The girls also found out about the deaths of Max’s parents from Kate, right before the shooting. The Queen Bee and her girls are ready to put asides all indifferences and support Max and Kate in every way possible.

“Thank you,” Max lets out a smile.

Victoria presses her lips thin, pouting her lips. She raises the window back up, and pulls out the driveway. Max waves them goodbye, until the car leaves the scene.

Max nuzzles her cheeks against the hair bun of Kate, “Alright, let’s go.” She wraps her arm around her, sluggishly dragging their legs to the front door, knocking on the door.

After a few moments, the door opens with Joyce behind it. “Max…” she says very quietly. Max has been used to hearing Joyce’s voice to be full of joy. She was a strong and brave woman. But this is different. She has now lost both her husband and daughter.

Kate lazily lifts her head off from the shoulder of Max, blinking owlish at Joyce with her puffy red eyes.

“Joyce…” The tears were coming back again, as Max dashes in to wrap her arms around mourning mother. “It is just us, now.”

The lone mother dips her head, pressing her chin to Max’s head, who is a second daughter to her. Acknowledging the girl’s words, she nods slowly, “Yes...you’re right.” She blinks her eyes, a stream of tears flow down her cheeks, sobbing softly under her breath.

Kate stares on, with her dazed look. The rain drenching her hair bun, dripping down the locks of hair, and onto her forehead. Seeing the tragic and suffering of the two people, she would normally give a prayer in silence, asking for protection for the two souls. Instead, she weakly buries her face into her cold discolored hands.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Price Residence - Backyard

#### October 14th, 2013 2:09 PM

Max opens the glass sliding door, stepping into the backyard, as the gush of chilling winds briefly stuns her body. She peers up at the dark skies with her red puffy eyes, sensing some wetness onto her face that isn’t from her tears. Max holds out her stretched arms, letting the moisture collect on it for a moment.

“I’m going to heat up the soup, and call you in, when it is ready, Max.” Joyce calls in a rather nonchalant tone to the spaced out brunette, then turning her attention to the large cooking pan on the stove. Alongside by her is Kate, who is having a conversation with her.

Max didn’t say anything back to her. Her cheeks were sore from all the crying she did earlier today, dulling the sensation on her face. She is in need for some alone time to collect her thoughts with everything. She walks towards the rusty swing set, examining it, and thinking about all the memories she had with Chloe.

 _I sat here on the swing...in the other timeline. Just thinking about all the memories I had with Chloe when we were kids. How we would travel the world. And that she will be my bodyguard forever._ She flutters her eyes closed, tilting her head up, embracing the cool moist air. _But that never happened. Instead, she got murdered, and now my parents are dead, too. Seeing that poor girl get paralyzed by that man, and now she has to suffer for the rest of her life. I can’t do anything about it…But I could…_

Her powers are unused but it is still there. More and more she questions her role in this world. Her best friend’s death and her parents’ deaths has not kicked in yet. Perhaps, maybe the reason why Max doesn’t feel right, unable to mourn them, is because her destiny is to join Chloe and her parents in heaven. It is going to get to a point where not even Kate and Joyce can save her anymore. The desire to go back in the past is slowly bubbling deep inside her. The temptation to make one change in her past, that will save her best friend and parents, leaving the rest of the town to go to hell.

Her eyes still closed, her fingers tugs onto the messenger bag, remembering some of the objects in her bag like the photos, and the address of Rachel’s mother, and so on. But maybe none of those will even matter, except for the photo of the blue butterfly. _There is nothing good that coming out of anything, even if Rachel was to help me. Even now, with the arrest of Nathan and Jefferson, this town is going to shit. I don’t have Chloe or my parents. But if Rachel saves herself, Nathan and Jefferson will get away. And who knows what else is going to happen...Chloe, David or even Rachel may get killed off later._

She dips her head down, clenching her teeth, puffing hot air through it. _Maybe I’ll just save Chloe. It is only a week ago, maybe Rachel can rewind Kate's memories back as well. Then get Nathan and Jefferson arrested and just fucking leave Arcadia Bay and go back to Seattle with my parents. Fuck Blackwell Academy. I had to leave William to die, before. I’ll just have to let Rachel...stay dead._

Her legs sways, becoming weak at her thoughts, that she will have to betray her own words and someone that loved her. Someone that loved her but she has no recollection of it. _Rachel, I’m not a good person, either. I know we loved each other in another timeline, but I just...have to save the people I care about…I’m sorry..._

A sudden chill courses through her nerves, her body recoiling at the feel of it. Her eyes opens sharply all of a sudden. Something is abnormal about the backyard, as the brunette’s head scans all around her in paranoia.

_There is someone else here...I can feel it._

The rain begins picking up, slowly drenching the brunette in her hoodie jacket. She holds out her hand, slowly closing her eyes again, feeling the sting of the vortex in her hand. The whirring sound rings into her ears, as the feeling of the presence becomes heavier, almost blanketing her. A sea of distorted voices rapidly races through her mind, caressing her ears. Faint laughing, shouting, crying... These foreign phantom sounds haunts within her, yet the brunette remains perfectly calm. She is ready to be brave and confront her abilities, if she is to survive in this world.

The wind wails all of sudden, lifting the brunette’s damp hair and her jacket. Her eyes squints towards the sky, with difficulty from the strong breeze and crashing rain. The real moon is hiding behind the clouds. But the other one is flickering faintly through the dark clouds, showing its unnatural characteristics. She gazes at it in a trance, as thunder rumbles across the skies in the distant. Her head dips back down, her eyebrows lowering. The rain slowly runs down her face, dripping off her chin.

_The storm is here..._

The vibration of the thunder slowly cascades into her body. There is no actual tornado, but a thick mist looms inside her head, twisting her mind, and sapping all the warmth from her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hey thanks again for everyone that sticking my story. It means a lot to me. Thanks to Harpuia, for pointing out some stuff with my story. Other than certain scenes in the story, the characters don't swear that much. In the game they do swear a decent amount. I'll try to be more mindful of this. :)
> 
> I wanted to add some backgrounds surrounding Jefferson, since he is somewhat unexplored character. We just know him for the creep he is. :) Where do I go with him? Well... we'll see. :P
> 
> The chapter just really want to point out on my take on Max's timeline. My personal belief is in both Bay and Bae ending, Arcadia Bay is "ruined". Bae is obviously the tornado. In Bay, there is something that gonna falter with the Prescotts, which may lead to their eventual withdrawal from the city or reduced funding, etc. Maybe the town could rebound, who knows? Didn't want to talk all about it in here, it is just a thought.
> 
> Max's mind also again being shown declining. She tries to gather as much information about Rachel, to hopefully see if there anything she can do to help her in the past. But all points that nothing good is going to come out of it. Or at least it isn't as simple. The safer bet is to save Chloe/her parents, since a week of time travel isn't nearly as bad. You cannot be certain what happens in the six months, or how Rachel or anyone will behave.


	18. When This World Is No More

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Price Residence - 1F

#### October 14th, 2013 2:13 PM

Dark clouds stretches across the vast sky, dimming the scene to a more bleak looking state. The rain begins picking up, combined with the light wind, rustling the leaves from the trees. Drops from the sky, trickles down onto the brunette, giving a rhythmic and tingling feeling. Max gazes absently into the fields of gray above her. Her mind indulging in the relaxing sensation, despite the cotton in her clothes slowly becoming saturated with water.

The thunder rumbles in the distant, reverberating the house. The low booming sound, sways the eyes of the mourning mother, twisting her towards the direction of the backyard. A sense of concern stirs into her thoughts, taking a few strides towards the glass sliding door. Her mouth gapes slightly, at the sight of the drenched girl, “Max, you’re soaked! Jesus, I didn’t realize how bad the rain picked up.” She dries off her wet hands on her dark blue polo shirt, dashing to the door, and opening it slightly, so her voice is more audible. She calls out to grab the attention of the spaced out girl, “Get in here.” Then, her tone drops to a more kind and sympathetic, from the lack of immediate response. “Max…” Kate, pokes her head around Joyce’s body to get a glimpse.

Max turns her head with languid motion, with very little considerations for her own health, “Joyce…”

The anxious and caring mother is in mild shock at the sight of the depressed and wistful looking girl. But the same time, she understands the need to vent out some emotions, even if it involves a little isolation and silence. “I don’t want you to get sick. Come here, honey.” She slides the glass door a little more, extending her arm out. 

Max blinks her eyes, focusing her thoughts and clearing a few lingering drops of rain on her lashes. She obeys Joyce’s order, heading towards the door, kicking off her wet shoes, and walking into the house.

Joyce steadily grips on the clumsy brunette’s shoulder, rotating her, “Here, let me help you with the jacket.” She gently pulls off the jacket, as Max does a quick spin to unravel the rest of it. The mother takes the drenched jacket, fanning it out and examining it. “Could you two watch the pot, while I look for some clean clothes for you?” Her eyes alternate between the two teenagers.

“No, Joyce. I’ll take a look.” Max lifts her sluggish hand, but in a polite gesture, with some water rolling down her skin.

“Please Max...,” Joyce gently crumbles the hoodie jacket in her arm, giving a stern look. “Let me help you.”

“No, it’s fine. I would like to take a look at Chloe’s room, too.” Max’s eyes drift slowly, giving soft eye contact. “It’ll help me, I think.”

_The odd presence I felt out in the backyard, has made me very sentimental. I could use a trip down memory lane, even if it hurts._

Joyce’s eyebrows arch with the brunette’s words, but she agrees to it in silence. A few moments in her best friend’s room can invoke some past memories to the surface of her skin. Some will be joyful, while others may be heart crushing. She presses her lips tightly together, giving a soft nod. The sorrow returns to her face and she says quietly, “I understand.”

Max turns to the quiet blonde girl by her side, “Kate?” She tips her nose in the direction of the stairs.

Kate nods solemnly, and then both girls leaves the kitchen area.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Price Residence - Chloe’s Room

#### October 14th, 2013 2:16 PM

The two girls enter into Chloe’s bedroom with slight hesitation, as if they are both trespassing in a restricted area. Both of them stand by the doorway, as a flood of dread and sorrow stuns both of them in their path. This is the first time Kate have seen Chloe’s room, as her tense eyes scan the rest of the room. The cloudy skies continues to paint the scene with a dismal shade, despite the vibrant USA flag that is hanging on the window. 

“I’ll go get some towels.” Kate retreats back out of the room, and into the hallway.

“There should be some in the bathroom at the end of the hallway, to the left.” Max mutters quietly, not taking her eyes off the room. She isn’t even sure if her voice reached the blonde girl. She takes a few paces into the center of the room. A cold breeze from the partially opened window flies by, sending a paralyzing chill into her legs.

 _“Wouldn’t it be wicked if we could hang out here forever like when we were kids?”_ Chloe’s voice from the other timeline haunts the young brunette.

_Yes, it would. Chloe, I want to be with you forever._

She dips her head down, hunching her shoulders, some remaining beads of water drips from her bangs and onto the laminate floor. _I’m not strong enough to save you, or strong enough to move on from you._ She tries to distract herself from the bubbling sadness rising inside her, by jumping back to her original objective. She places her messenger bag carefully, by the foot of the bed. She, then drags her weak legs to the closet, in search for some dry clothes to put on.

Max lifts her head up, fixated at the floor lamp by the brown closet door. It is in the upright position, rather than tipped over in the other timeline.

_It is fixed in this timeline. Probably when Joyce dug through her closet to find a dress or an outfit suitable for Chloe to wear for her funeral. But she couldn’t find anything and ended up buying that beautiful dark blue dress._

Max wraps her fingers tightly around the lamp, tipping it over slightly, then resetting it back. Her mind briefly paints the memory of her entering this room in the other timeline. Where she hid in the closet, then coming out of it to defend her best friend against David’s abuse. 

_She was just alive. We were talking about life. And she gave me William’s camera when I couldn’t fix mines._ Her lungs freeze for a moment, sending a tingle up to her tight lips. _I want all of that back…_ She grasps at her mouth with her hand, keeping the sorrow from spilling out, almost wanting to claw her own face in frustration.

With her other hand, she slides the rickety door, slowly regaining back her senses. The closet still have the clothing intact, as well as the red plaid outfit of Rachel’s.

 _“She’s your size…”_ Chloe’s voice echoes into the mind of the brunette girl. 

Just the sight of it stuns her, now that she has an actual face and voice to associate with the unfortunate murdered girl. At least a version of her. She brushes the outfit, weaving her fingers through the fabric of it. _I want to save Chloe and my parents. But Rachel...I just can’t remember you. I want to..._ Max’s eyebrows furrow, as she squints her eyes, concentrating at the outfit. Hoping that perhaps her own time travel powers may somehow unleash something hidden. Like a memento, unlocking a plain of loss memories that existed out of this timeline. _I want to remember you, but I can’t._ She dips in closer, squeezing the fabric into a clenched fist. _I know you loved me. But I can’t remember it…Please make me remember it._

 _“That’s why I was so glad Rachel came along to rescue me.”_ Again, she hears Chloe’s voice in her head.

 _You were there for Chloe. And the Rachel in the other timeline...she went off to save Chloe’s father. I, on the other hand, had to let him die because I couldn’t bear to see you suffer. To be paralyzed and slowly dying. But I guess whether you were in a wheelchair or not, you were always suffering._ Tears is slowly collecting in the corner of her eyes. _I know I only care about Chloe and my parents. But I also know you were there the entire time. Just watching from the distant…_ She sobs softly, mouthing it in silent, “ _Please let me remember…”_

The sounds of approaching footsteps halt behind her, but Max doesn’t take her eyes off from the outfit. Kate nods her head down a little, the damp loose locks dangle from her bun. “Max…”

The brunette flutters her eyes close, “Kate, this is Rachel’s outfit that I wore in the other timeline where I saved Chloe. I wore it because my clothes got wet from breaking into the Blackwell pool at night.” She lets out a forced laugh through her throat. “And here I am...It’s funny how everything kind of repeats itself.” Kate peeks over her shoulder with intrigued eyes, looking at the outfit. Max continues, interrupting her strained breathing, “I know that both Rachels… They loved me. But I know I did something terrible to them. Maybe I reciprocated my feelings or something else…”

“Max...” Kate interrupts, but with a gentle voice. “There’s no way you could have known what you did in the other timelines. Heck, I could be a terrible bully that is worse than Victoria in another timeline.”

Max turns around, revealing her teary eyes to the blonde girl. “Yes, but the Rachel that has been helping me... The one from the other timeline. I know she is suffering right now. I just know it. Unsure about her own existence. And here I am...just being selfish and waiting for her to save me one day. I don’t remember anything about her, so I just feel like I’m using her.” She takes a step closer to Kate, pressing both her hands together, over her chest in a delicate stance. “But...I think I’m ready to start caring. I want her to know that I’ll always be there for her. Even though I don’t remember anything… And even if we’re in different timelines.”

Kate nods her head. “Sometimes good deeds goes unacknowledged, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable. She cares about you, Max. She very well could have been your Chloe.” She lets out a smile.

Max looks at the sweet smile, as her mind slowly detaches from the words from the honest hair-bun girl. It twists her insides, at the thought of it.

 _It is hard to think that anyone could ever possibly compare to my best friend, Chloe. We were destined to be partners forever. Just two young pirates that were going to take over the world. No one else can ever top that...right?_ Max tips her nose up the air, her tears clouding her vision. _Rachel...something must have happened between us. For us to fall apart like this. This alternate Rachel, may have got to that point or she maybe she will real soon._ There is dead silence in the room, as the brunette looks back at the church girl with her red, puffy eyes. Kate sees this, and twists one of the towel into her fingers. “Here…” She says in a soft tone. Max squeezes her eyes closed, letting the tears stream down her face, washing off some of her mascara. Kate gently wipes both of her closed eyes, as well as the streams that have formed on her face. “It’s okay…” She pulls closer to her, “Let’s dry you up.”

She tosses the extra towels onto Chloe’s bed, leaving a big one in her hand. She tiptoes to reach over the brunette’s head to wipe down her hair, working her way down to the neck.

Max blinks rapidly, gazing deeply into the eyes of the blonde girl, who is preoccupied with drying every single inch on her head. _Kate...she has been so great to me with everything. I usually prefer to be alone, but maybe I just say that because I’ve always struggled making any real close friends. I always had trouble opening up to people, because I don’t trust myself enough and afraid I’d just say something wrong, and people will laugh at me. Only person I ever trusted was Chloe. But Kate...I feel she will always be there for me. No matter how much pressure the school and her family throws at her. She has become a tough person, but still the sweet angel she always have been. It is like we are destined to be together from now on._ Max squeezes her eyes close, allowing Kate to work the area around her eyes with the towel, drying any lingering tears.

Max gets the opportunity to open one of her eyes in somewhat cute fashion. Something to finally break the dreary moment. Kate halts her wiping for a moment, returning with a sunny smile, that sends a strike of warmth into the brunette’s body.

Kate continues working her way down, wiping the brunette’s soaked upper body like her neck and arms, while still maintaining deep eye contact with the girl in awe. _If I go back in time to change the past, all these moments with Kate will disappear._ Max presses her lips together thin and unsteadily, just at the thought of that. _But I will get Chloe back. And she’s better than Kate???_ She halts that thought immediately, eyes shooting wide opened in shock, that even the church girl stops with surprise in her face. _I have known Chloe for much longer...she’s more important for me than Kate...and Rachel._ Feeling even more troubled, she flinches away, turning around to the closet. She closes her eyes taking a deep breath, then letting it out with an exhale to calm the rising guilt in the back of her throat.

“Max, are you okay?” Kate presses her hands together, the towel draping down to her shirt. “Something is on your mind, huh?” She asks with concern, acknowledging with sympathy.

“I’m o-okay…” Max snorts, grabbing the dark purple undershirt of Rachel’s from the hanger.

Kate tilts her head to the side to get a peek, “You can change into that. But wipe yourself with this towel after you take off your shirt. I’ll step out the room…”

“No…” Max quickly turns around, her quick moment halts the church girl. Her eyes uneasily wander around the room, and her heart racing. It is rather nostalgic to hear the voices of her best friend again. However, combined with either the creative mind of the photographer or perhaps her powers is slowly augmenting, it can be rather unnerving as well. “Could you please stay here, I’m a little...spooked by myself here, if you know what I mean.”

“Sure thing,” Kate hands Max the towel, then she spins around on her heels. “I won’t look.” She crosses her hands behind her back, swaying her body up and down by tip-toeing in an adorable fashion.

Max smiles at sight of the cuddly girl, as she clamps the towel between her legs, and strips off her white shirt. She brushes her white bra with the back of her hand, feeling it is slightly wet. Kate holds out her right arm, offering to take the wet shirt from Max’s hands, but still keeping her words of not looking. The brunette chuckles at the cuteness of the blonde, a blush forms at her face from the kind gesture.

She hands the soaked shirt to Kate, but still holding on it tightly, not letting Kate take it away yet. _To pick the most important people in your life, huh? Time travel allows you to select what you want and what you don’t want._ Max gently tugs the shirt, rotating Kate back around to face her.

Kate’s mildly shocked but playful eyes went straight to the brunette’s chest, finding it is covered by the white towel in her arm. She looks up, connecting with the melancholic eyes of the brunette.

Sometimes, it seems like there isn’t ever a perfectly right answer with anything. It seems like with time travel, there is always something else you have to sacrifice. Over time, you will live a life full of disappointments, unable to ever move forward with anything in your life. Max sniffs, as the sadness is coming back. “I’m just...paralyzed with everything.”

Kate gently tosses the wet shirt onto the bed, and moves in close to Max with another dry towel. She grasps at the weakened girl, holding her up with her left arm. “Talk to me, Max.” She resumes drying the stiff brunette’s skin.

Max closes her eyes, still holding the towel tightly around her chest. “Kate, I know you will always be there for me. Yet, here I am...Just thinking about the past, and how to get Chloe and my parents back. I’m so fucking selfish, and don’t even respect all the things you have done for me.” She glances at the diligent and loyal girl’s hand, who is wiping her body. “Here you are being so sweet and amazing, and giving me a hand with absolutely everything.”

The sound of the rain picks up, rattling the roof of the house. The silence is a little less awkward as it is being drowned out by the sounds of crashing water.

Kate nods softly, as she finishes wiping the upper body of the brunette. She mutters in a calm tone, “Do you want to take your bra off?”

Max shakes her head profusely, “No it’s fine.” She clenches her towel, pressing it hard against her skin. She scrubs it over her chest, doing a deep wipe on her bra, drying as much moisture as she can, then tossing the wet towel at Chloe’s bed. Preoccupied with thoughts and flooding emotions, she isn’t embarrassed of revealing her small but covered chest to the church girl. 

Kate also tosses her wet towel at the bed, and politely sits on the corner of it. She brushes her skirt, fidgeting with it, and glancing at the brunette’s slender body. She is absorbed with the words from Max. Pondering the right things to say and how she would feel to be in Max’s predicament.

Max quickly puts on the purple undershirt, shimming it down to her waist. Her eyes quickly turns to the preoccupied girl.

Kate whispers to herself, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices is pleasing to God.”

Max is unable to hear the quiet murmurs, “Kate?”

Kate finally shakes off from being drowned in her thoughts, returning eye contact with her beautiful hazel eyes, “Max, if I had the chance... I would probably do the same thing. To save someone I loved and my family.” She dips her head down, locking her hands underneath her belly in a polite manner, as there are some concerns that boils deep down inside her.

But before Kate can continue, an enthusiastic voice breaks the silence, “Little Max!”

The voice from thin air, startles the brunette. While her body remains mostly stationary, her soul must have leaped ten feet in the air. Her breath quickens, “Rachel?” Kate’s eyes shoot open for a sharp moment, but then pouts her lips, drooping her shoulders.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt you guys. How are you doing?”

“N-no, it’s fine…” The brunette stammers her words, trying to hide the excitement expanding inside her, maintaining her composure. “Ummm…”

Kate nods her head, stiffening her posture and giving a smile, “Go on Max…”

Max glances on the sweet smile from the church girl, biting the inside of her lips. While the smile is meant to inspire confidence and comfort, the brunette did not feel that way. Instead, she read deeper than that, as if her angel is accepting her fate, of being forgotten. Because there will be someone else to take her place...Chloe.

Her throat thickens at the thought of it, as she tries her best to push the words out. “Rachel, I would like to say...Thank you so much for everything.” She takes in a deep inhale, to help clear her mind. “You have been so helpful and you didn’t have to do any of this for me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything. But you’re welcome, Max. By the way, cute white bra. I was there when you were stripping for Kate.”

A flush creeps across Max’s cheeks. She crosses arms covering her chest area, “You did? Shit, I’m so embarrassed.” _That’s right she can watch and listen to us without us knowing!_ Kate giggles, instantly knowing what is being inferred by the brunette based on her awkward posture. Max looks back to her with a nervous smile, with teeth clenched. 

“It’s all good, Maxi. By the way, nice threads. Not just the one covering your boobies.”

Max winces at the last word from Rachel. She looks down at her deep purple shirt, letting out a nervous laugh. “Thanks. It is actually yours. Well, this timeline’s Rachel. She left her clothes in Chloe.”

“Oh...I see...” There is a slight hint of dreariness in her tone. “So what’s on your mind?”

Max takes a deep breath, straightening her posture. “Can you take me back? Go back in time?”

With no hesitation, “Sure. Anything you want, Tiny Max. Last week, before Chloe got shot, right?”

“No…” Max’s fingers tug on the hem of her shirt, her belly tightens from the cringing. “Six months ago...before Rachel’s death. I want to save her. Is that okay?” She is breathless after forcing that out of her mouth.

_I remembered Kate was feeling uneasy about this Rachel. She does have complete control out of everything. And the Rachel in my dream this morning, was giving a warning of her powers and emotions can be very destructive. But still... I think she just wants to help me. I don’t have anything to worry about...right?_

There is an awkward moment of silence, as no other sounds to go by to indicate anything about Rachel’s emotions or thoughts. Whether she is sighing or even her breathing. But finally her voice calmly breaks the hush air, “Sure.”

“Really? Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah, of course.”

 _Why is she being so nice to me, now? It just seems so odd._ The brunette gulps her throat, as she ponders for a few seconds. This moment she has been waiting for, is finally here. While it seems like such a clear answer to make but at the same time, so many questions and complications also comes with it. To start things off, she doesn’t even know the Rachel in her timeline that well, or even certain on how she would react to any of her words. “I-I…” She sighs with disappointment. “Not even sure if Rachel will believe anything I say. I mean if I was her, and I got text messages about alternate timelines, and different versions of myself... I wouldn’t believe it, even if I had time trav-...”

Rachel interrupts her, “I actually was thinking about taking over Rachel’s body.”

Max’s eyebrows raise, “Oh…” Her eyes drift to the side, again thinking about her dream this morning. The ghost of Rachel from _this_ timeline. And how she didn’t want her body to be taken over. _To save her, this may be the easiest way to do it... But can I trust this Rachel? Will she use her powers and take over my timeline?_ Perhaps these ill thoughts could be what holds Max from truly trusting and believing in this Rachel. For now, she squashes this doubt lingering in her insides. “Only thing there is probably a wall of information that I have to give you, since you know nothing about this timeline. Are you okay with that?”

“That will be great. To be honest, I kind of want to see how I am in this timeline.” Rachel’s voice falters a little bit. “So I’m more than happy to learn as much as I can. Also information about my...well, you know.” She avoids the topic of her death completely, making sure she doesn’t suffer again like she did in that restaurant in Portland.

 _So she wants to jump into Rachel’s body and learn about her. Well...there isn’t anything I can do to even stop her anyways._ “So where are you right now? Do we have to meet somewhere for you to hop over to this timeline?”

“I’m in the backyard actually.”

Max’s eyebrows furrow a little bit. “What are you doing here?” She lets out a forced smile. “Are you with _me_ and Chloe, in your timeline?”

“Yeah…I was.” Rachel answers quickly. Her enthusiasm has died down from her initial forced chirpy introduction.

“Okay…” Max’s throat stiffens with her uneasy and unconvinced tone.

“Umm…” Rachel clears her throat, breaking the silence quickly, “...so you wanted to save the Rachel in your timeline, right? I would like to get to know more about this timeline, because I’m going to be completely out of the loop. Can you give me some pointers?”

 _She’s hiding something._ Max holds the urge in, from saying any accusatory remarks, burying her suspicions deep into her belly. She takes a deep breath, “Yeah, this is going to be pretty much a briefing, if that’s okay? If I ramble too much, please stop me.” She walks towards her messenger bag on the floor by the bed. Kate looks with earnest eyes on the brunette down by her dangling legs. Max carefully takes out her journal, which contains paper scraps and photos tucked snugly in it.

“No, just tell me as much as you want. The more the better.”

Max opens her journal to the page with the pile of photos stacked in it. She gently brushes them out, each occupying some space on the page of the journal. Her eyes is focused, scanning between the photos.

_Butterfly...no. Rachel is way dead by then. 12th Birthday...no. Way too early. The hockey game...maybe, but still too early. Prom picture...Yes! It is going to be shit to relive that disappointment again, but that may be it._

Max stacks the photos again, but pulling the prom picture to the side. She closes the journal, holding the photo up to her face, looking deeply in it. The colors morph for a split second, as her head flinches away to avoid accidentally photo jumping with her own powers.

“Woo...beautiful and sexy dress, Max. I like it a lot.”

 _Yeah...a beautiful dress to wear to get your heart ripped out._ Max clenches her teeth under her lips, at the bitter thought of her prom. She ignores Rachel’s compliment and continues in a stern voice. “This picture is around mid March 2013, which is six months ago. Which should be an optimal and safe date. End of March is pushing it way too much. Too fucking dangerous. You got that?”

“I got it...I know what you’re talking about. What am I like in this timeline? Details!”

Max ponders for a moment, thinking about what she has heard about Rachel from her current timeline, as well as the previous one. “Well...this is purely on what I gathered. But you’re a very social and outgoing person. You get along with just about everyone. Skaters like Justin Williams and Trevor. You’re in the Vortex Club. There are some rich, snobby, pretentious people like Victoria Chase and Nathan Prescott in it.”

“What is exactly the Vortex Club?”

“It’s like some elite social club in Blackwell Academy. Basically all the cool and popular kids were in it. Nathan’s father, Sean Prescott helps with the funding of the club. They would throw parties at the school. Drinking and doing drugs, and all that stuffs.”

“Sean Prescott, huh? That guy is never good news, especially if he is funding some rowdy dipshits’ parties.” She lets out a soft laugh. “Well fuck me. The _me_ in this timeline is pretty intense. To be honest, I’m actually a damn introvert that only drink sometimes. And I’m twenty-one and legal.”

Max’s eyes arch, in rather surprise. “Really? Then your personality seems more like mines, then.”

“Aww...yeah I am kind of like you, Max.” Her voice is full of delight. “Victoria Chase, I know her. Or at least I’ve seen her around. She has short hair, right? With a Pixie-cut hairdo?”

“You have?”

“Uh-huh.”

“She’s like a sister to Nathan Prescott. Rich and bitchy attitude. But if you somehow can look past all of that, which is very tough. She is a good person. Just under a lot of pressures from everyone.” Max flutters her eyes closed, nodding silently. “She was very cool with you. But she got very jealous of your popularity. As well as your umm...relationship with one of her crush. A teacher…”

“With a teacher? Great...And I’m a student too? Damn, I’m pretty messed up, huh?”

“Maybe a little misguided. I...think something happened.” _I know Rachel went down the wrong path, leading to her own demise. But it still painful to get reminded of the tragedy. It also eventually led to Chloe’s death._ “You may have lost sight of yourself. And you were trying to find yourself again. Maybe doing some soul searching…”

“Lost sight of myself, huh? Soul searching…” Rachel’s voice trails off with a hint of dread.

“Rachel?”

“Tell me more about this teacher, that I was close with.”

Again, Max’s suspicions continue to crush her. She bites the inner of her bottom lip, and continues to pretend to be unaffected by all of these remarks. She also avoids saying his name, in case it may trigger something within Rachel. “He’s… a charming and handsome guy. He was a renowned photographer that is now a professor at Blackwell Academy. But he had a hidden agenda. He has this obsession or fetish with capturing the innocence in people with his camera. He would drug them, then take pictures of them. He does it in their most vulnerable moment because they would seem pure and innocent. He’s a total freak.” Her breath quickens with the rising frustration. “He has a young daughter named Audrey. I don’t know if she is an accomplice. I don’t think so, but you never know for sure. You were close to her.”

“I wonder what his motives are.” Rachel’s voice is nonchalant, almost unaffected with the horrible things Max was telling. “Why he wanted to capture pure innocence in this dreadful, and bitter world?”

“W-What?” Max scoffs mildly, “Rachel, he is just a pure psychopath.”

“We all have our intentions in life. Even the ones that aren’t morally correct, I’ve always been curious to hear their perspective.”

Max rebukes, “Rachel...No, he’s a dangerous man! Don’t give him any benefit of the doubt.”

Kate stands up with clenched fists, and pouty cheeks. It is as frightening as it is adorable. “Rachel, he is a horrible man. He drugged me and took pictures of me. And he did the same thing to Max, in another timeline.” Kate avoids mentioning Rachel’s demise, as she also remembers what Max told her.

“Kate…” Max arches her eyebrows at the cute blonde girl, with a soft smile.

Rachel tries to rectify the situation, “Alright! I got it. I’ll be cautious. So tell me about Nathan Prescott.”

Max turns back, with a stern look and giving a moment to calm down after her short outburst, “Nathan is mentally unstable. In the end, he felt bad for everything, including… what he did to you. And Kate, as well.” The brunette gives a quick glance to the sweet girl, then back. “He _is_ an accomplice for this teacher. He had a lot of issues dealing with his family. He was very close with his sister, Kristine. But when she moved to Brazil to join the Peace Corps, he was left behind and all alone, with a toxic relationship with his parents. Especially his father Sean Prescott. He hated his father so much, that he turned to this...teacher.”

“As a father figure, huh?” Rachel tacks on to the end of Max’s sentence. “Speaking of father...I know that mines did something to piss me off in this timeline. I had a vision, or maybe some residual memories that lingered in my mind the last time I took over the Rachel in this timeline. She reset everything to stayed in Long Beach to save Dad from moving to Arcadia Bay with her time travel powers. So I can imagine she was pretty torn up to discover that she did all that, just to be disappointed in the end. So what did happened with Dad?”

“I don’t know what happened. Victoria didn’t even know what happened...she had some ideas, but we don’t know if it is true.”

“Tell me, Max. What did Victoria say?”

Sensing the pressure, Max tries her best to sugarcoat the situation, “Rachel, it is just what Victoria think. We don’t know for-”

“Just tell me Max. What did she say?”

Max lets out a sigh, “She thinks your father may have cheated on your mother. He moved out of the house. But they are not divorced yet.” She squeezes her eyes closed for a moment, bracing for impact.

“Of course…” Rachel’s tone is oddly calm but with a hint of anger in it. “I can never trust anyone, huh.”

Max sniffs her nose and gulping her throat, as Rachel’s statement is rather intimidating in general. Trying to dampen the situation, “Rachel...Like I said, we don’t know for sure.” Max opens her journal, finding the scrap piece of paper. “Here is your mother’s address…2311 Nestucca Ave, Arcadia Bay, OR. So maybe you can meet up with her and find out?” She catches her breath as she said it rather quickly, not even sure if Rachel caught any of it, or if she’s even reading the piece of paper.

There is another brief pause, making the air feel heavy and thick. The inability to see the blonde is suffocating, as Max’s mind scrambles to fill in the blank with her own imagination.

Rachel ends the tension, with a more cordial tone. “Good to know. My mom doesn’t live at that address in my timeline. Thanks, Max.”

Max thinks of another subject to break the awkward silence from happening. “And there’s Frank Bowers. He is this drug dealer that lives in a RV with his dog Pompidou.”

“Sounds like a fine human being to contribute in our society. What is my relationship with him?”

Max shifts her eyes to the left, then to the right. “You were in a romantic relationship with him.”

“Well… fuck me.”

Max continues, “I don’t know what was going on between you two, but you guys had a falling apart. He didn’t have the cleanest act, as he also sold drugs to Nathan. Which he then gave to the teacher to use and drug up the girls. Frank didn’t know any of this was happening, and he really did care about you. And you loved his dog.”

“I get along with many people but at the same time, I don’t... Can we move onto something else, please?”

“Alright…” Max takes a deep breath and letting out a calming sigh. It seems to be a tense subject after another, but there is no good way to really partition any of this. Max went straight to the next question, knowing the answer is not going to be good. “Did you find out about what made Rachel avoid me, in my timeline?”

“No...I have no idea, Max.” Rachel says it in a rather quick and nonchalant.

“Okay…” Her curiosity is pecking away at her guts. She resists the confrontation now, and continues on with the briefing. “So with you and Chloe in this timeline… you were an amazing friend to her. You guys had very similar punk taste and partied together a lot. I don’t know the details but Chloe said you saved her. I told you this before, but Chloe’s father is dead in this timeline. She never...fully recovered from it. She went through a very dark time in the five years while I was at Seattle. But you were there for her, when I wasn’t.” Something else begins clawing at her, as her throat feels like it wants to collapse inward. She partially covers her mouth, “She loved you.”

“Would you get mad, if Rachel falls in love with Chloe?”

Max clamps her mouth with her hand, squeezing her jaws at the question that Rachel gives. 

_I love Chloe so much. Rachel shrugged off Chloe for some reasons. But at the end of the day, it is Chloe’s decision if she has to pick between us. Rachel...she’s so pretty, it is no brainer for Chloe to fall in love with her._

“No…” Max pries her own hand from her mouth to be more clear and audible. “I won’t get mad.”

“What if _I_ fall in love with Chloe?”

Max blinks rapidly, being more objective with her feeling. She wants her best friend alive more than anything in the world. Her voice is raspy, as she squeezes her voice through her throat, “No…I just want both of you two. Safe and sound. That’s all.”

“Well, it’ll be the other Rachel anyways.” Rachel mutters quietly, showing signs of jealousy and possible resentment. “Sooo...do I know Kate in this timeline?”

Max lowers her hand, gripping her arm nervously. Her head is dipped down, trying to avoid eye contact to the invisible ghost. “No, both me and Kate started Blackwell Academy in the next school year.” She recalls about a previous conversation with Taylor another day. She mentioned that her room used to be Rachel’s. That she felt or maybe hallucinated some unsettling events at night triggering her anxiety attacks. Like someone banging and fumbling with their keys with the locks late at night. Either her anxiety getting the best out of her, or maybe it is ghost. With that chilling thought in mind, it is probably good idea to tell the blonde where her dorm is going to be. “Rachel, also your dorm number is 224. It’s on the same floor as where you found my dorm.”

“Thanks, knowing where I actually live, is probably a good idea. And what a shame! Kate seems like an amazing person. And super cute and adorable, too.”

Max’s face getting little warm. “Yes. She is.” Kate looks back from the sudden attention she is getting, arching her eyebrows in an adorable way. The brunette lets out a hearty laughter, rubbing her belly. _She really is an awesome person…_

“Let’s go meet at the backyard.”

Rachel’s voice snaps, curbing Max’s dreamy fixation. “Alright.” She grabs her messenger bag and stuffs her journal in it. She adjusts the straps, looking at the curious quiet blonde that’s been patient the whole time. “Kate, we’re going to the back yard. I’m going to meet Rachel, like we did last night outside the dorms.” 

Kate leans in close towards Max, whispering in her ears, “So is everything okay with her?”

Max whispers quietly, “No.” She blinks her eye, giving a subtle signal.

“Talk to her, please.” Kate gently interlocks her fingers with the brunette.

Max glances down at the delicate hands, then into her hazel eyes. “I will. Come with me.” She grabs Kate’s wrist and they both make a beeline for the door in a hurried fashion.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Price Residence - 1F

#### October 14th, 2013 2:26 PM

Max hurries down the stairs, with frenzied pattering footsteps following right behind her. Her heart is racing with excitement and determination. Many thoughts circulates in her mind. What else is there to talk about it? Did I remember everything? Is this really the end of this timeline? Will there be a tornado created when Chloe is saved from that bathroom? Or something else? The brunette shoves the flurry of questions aside for a later time, as she circles into the hallway, and into the dining room.

“So, you were able to find some clothes?” Joyce stirs the ladle into the big pot of chicken noodle soup. She does a casual glance back, then a double take, acknowledging the shirt of the brunette. “Oh, that looks kind of like Rachel’s shirt.” Her expression softens, being reminded of the close friend of Chloe’s that went missing for six months, then finally to be found murdered after her own daughter’s death.

“Yeah…it is.” For a moment, the determination and confidence begins to disperse from her body, as she gives unsteady contact. “Uh...Joyce. Both me and Kate will be outside in the backyard for a little bit.” Her eyes gaze at the wisps of steam, twisting their way up the air from the boiling pot. “We’ll come back for the soup later.”

“Outside?” Her eyes open wide, her body lengthens. “You just got dried, and you want to go back out?”

“U-Uh…” Max stammers and eyes spin for a moment, thinking about a quick excuse that will relieve herself from the pressure of Joyce. She feels the heat onto her face, “I know it sounds a little emo, but the cold rain kind of soothes me.” The rainfall may actually calm the flush feeling.

“Max…” Joyce steps towards her, resting her warm hand on the teenager’s shoulder. “Are you okay, honey? And Kate?” Her eyes drifts to the blonde for a moment, then returning back at the brunette. “I just don’t want you guys getting sick from the cold.”

“It’s not too bad outside.” Max does a quick glance back at the yard, observing the condition. “It is still a warm afternoon outside. And playing around in the rain…” Her eyes return back to the concerned mother, “...just remind me of old times with Chloe. Makes me feel like a kid, again.”

Joyce’s eyebrows raise with some skepticism. She nods softly, “Old times, huh? If only I can do some things differently in the past.” Her face drifts away, dropping her chin to her chest.

Max grabs Joyce’s hand, caressing it and extending her warm touch to the distraught parent. “Like what? What would you like to change?”

Her eyes dart up, looking towards the ceiling. Her eyes is already getting red and puffy. She sniffs her nose, and pressing her lips into a frown. “William’s death was very hard for me. But I severely underestimated how much it affected Chloe. I tried my best and wanted our lives to move forward. But I never actually looked back to see how far I left Chloe behind.” 

Max hunches her shoulders, sympathizing with her, “Joyce, I was her best friend. And I left her behind. I didn’t do shit when I was in Seattle.”

The mourning mother continues to sob, “No Max, this isn’t any of your fault. Chloe never got along with David. When she finally met Rachel, I thought it was almost a gift sent from the heavens. For someone to be in my little girl’s life. Chloe was happy, for the most part. I guess that was good enough for me. So I looked the other way when they were together.” She buries her face into her hands, as her raspy voice crawls out of her thick throat. “And now both Rachel and Chloe is gone.” Her voice softens to almost a whisper. “And I had no clue about anything.”

Max wraps her arms around Joyce, burying her face onto her shoulder, “Joyce...I don’t even know what to say.” 

Joyce’s voice remains close to a whisper, “You don’t have to say anything. Max, you can always come to talk to me with anything, okay? We got each other now, okay?” Joyce pats on the back of the brunette, then slowly pulling away.

Max nods her head, “Thanks, Joyce.” She walks sluggishly towards the glass sliding door with Kate behind her.

“Don’t stay out too long,” Joyce calls to her, before returning back to tending the pot on the stove.

It isn’t pouring right now, but it is still coming down. The wetness on her skin, didn’t not deter Max, one bit. Rather the moisture is very welcoming, after the short but sad confrontation with Joyce.

_Joyce is a brave person. She have suffered so much. I know Chloe isn’t the easiest person to deal with, so Joyce could only do so much to keep the family together. Maybe I can tell Rachel to tell Chloe to cool it down or maybe somehow mend their relationship._

Max’s eyes instantly locks at the huge hazy anomaly at the corner of the yard, that wasn’t there just a few moments ago. Seeing a faint figure lying on the ground inside the dome, Max points at it to Kate, “There’s Rachel.” She hurries in excitement but she halts after seeing the face of the pouty church girl. “Can you see the dome?”

“No, I can’t.” Kate shakes her head, pressing her lips together, and her eyebrows quivering in frustration. “So once you go in there, this world is going to end?” She stares blankly at the corner of the yard, as she cannot see the huge ripple in time.

“Not yet,” Max grabs both of Kate’s soft hands, causing her to turn, giving deep eye contact to her hazel eyes.

Kate didn’t want anything this world to end. She have learned so much, expanding her mind and thoughts out the confines of her sheltered and naive mind. She doesn’t ever want to leave Max. She wants to continue their adventures together. Forever.

Max pulls the angel close, so she can whisper to her, while keeping a steady contact at the blonde girl that is waiting inside the anomaly. “I know there’s something wrong with Rachel. I can tell she is very upset about something. I think nothing went right in her timeline. And I want to get to the bottom of it.” She gently pulls away, “I’ll be right back after I find out, though. So I can talk to you.”

“Mmm…” Kate nods with a cute face, hiding her deep disappointment. “Yes, take your time with it and have a good talk with her.” Now, it’s her turn to dip in close for a soft whisper, “You know, she loves you.” She pulls back, winking her eyes with her sunny smile. “Then promise to come talk to me, okay?”

A slight blush hits Max’s face, causing her to smile. She nods her head, “Yes, Kate. I will come back. I promise.” She slowly walks backward, maintaining both hand and eye contact for a moment longer before turning around to walk into the huge whirling orb of gray distorted shapes.

Max enters into the dome, her breath tenses up as the murky air seems almost suffocating to be in. The gray colors is displacing and shifting at unpredictable time intervals. Kate’s figure has become a frozen shadow with hardly noticeable features other than her hair bun and polite posture. 

Max looks at the older blonde girl, hunching over in her blue hoodie jacket. Her face and general posture is facing the opposite direction. She is combing her messy bangs over her face, almost in a deceptive way.

“Rachel…” Max calls to her in a calm tone, clenching her fists tightly, nails digging deep into her skin until it turns white. Hoping the acute pain will somehow draw more confidence and courage within her.

“Hey Dorky Max...uh it’s odd...Chloe’s house is a little bigger in my timeline.” She runs her fingers through the blades of the grass in the yard. “She has a small pathway at the side of her house. Maybe the neighbor’s house is smaller in my timeline for some reason.” The brunette approaches her closer, but at same time the blonde rotates her body away. Rachel’s voice is thick and raspy, like she is in pain or distress. A total contrast from earlier, where her voice seem unhindered with the exception of her emotions.

“Why are you looking away from me?” Max says in a rigid tone, her body stiffens.

“Uh, sorry...I just look a little beaten up. When I told you, I may be in a dangerous predicament saving Chloe’s father. Well I kinda got my ass kicked.” Her thin pale face is still avoiding direct eye contact, but the deep purple bruises is clearly visible across her face.

“Oh my god…” Max’s mouth drops open, at the rather displeasing sight.

“But we are all fine though!” Rachel gives a thumb up in a cheery way, but still avoiding eye contact. “The bastard got arrested.”

“Really?” Max lowers her hands to her hips, gripping it. “So what was happening right before you came over to this timeline?”

“Oh, we were just chilling at Chloe’s place. Then I saw you outside in the backyard, so I decided to plop over to your timeline.” She points her index finger up in the air, “You know...two moons stuff.”

“Okay…” Max stretches her unsteady voice in disbelief. “I don’t believe you…”

“What? Max, come on. Cut me some slack.”

The brunette kneels down, focusing on the neck of the blonde’s girl. “Those scratch marks on your own neck. You look pretty messed up, like you hardly did anything to tend to your own wounds or even hide it. Your hair is all let down from your clean ponytail. It is very messy looking, even for casually hanging out with your friends.”

“I didn’t have any bandage that long for my neck. And well, sorry if I look a little messed up. I don’t have to look my finest to my own friends.”

“Your friends, huh? They’re both fucked up if they think this is acceptable. If you’re going to keep lying to me, then count me out. I’m outta here.” Max turns around, and makes a few paces towards the edge of the dome and Kate.

“No, please Max. Come here!” Rachel quickly gets up, stopping the brunette in her tracks.

Max turns around, finally seeing the full damage of the blonde girl’s face. She didn’t have any makeup on and her hair looks like it hasn’t been combed in days. There are bruises around her red, puffy eyes, as well as around her face. Either she got beaten up or she inflicted it herself. Her face looks thin and pale, like she haven’t been eating.

“Max, let’s get your Chloe and your parents back. Aren’t you excited to have them back?” She raises her eyebrows in a forced cheery mood, trying to deflect the judging eyes of the brunette.

Max continues in a steady and low tone, “Tell me everything that happened.”

Rachel puts her hands up, trying to hush the boldness coming from the younger girl, “We will talk once we get your Chloe and your parents back, okay?”

Max scoots closer to the blonde, “So you can run away back to your own timeline and bleed to death.” She points at her sleeves. Even though the jacket is relatively dark colored, you can see some blood seeping through it. Chloe did it in the past, outside that clinic. And it was thanks to Rachel’s powers of taking her back to that memory that made her more aware of these things. “You slit your wrist, didn’t you?” She shakes her head softly from side to side. “Why? Why are you trying to hide all of this from me?”

“Max, you have suffered for way too long. You seen the worst out of everything with your own powers. It’s time to just think for yourself and have the most important people back into your life.”

“Do you really think I will be happy, that the person that is going to save my best friend and my parents is also on the verge of ending her own life?”

Rachel stoops her posture, her eyes doesn’t seem to be very coordinated as it gives unsteady eye contact. “Max, I’m not ending my own life. And there’s some stuffs that is seriously not worth worrying about. This is one of them. It isn’t anything you have done. You don’t know who I am. You don’t know what I have done. You don’t know what type of person I really am. I’m not even in your timeline. You’re worrying about something that you don’t even have control or even know about it.” She lets out a whimper, as she slowly claws the hair on the side of her head. Her voice becomes soft, barely above a whisper, “These terrible memories will eventually fade away. Just be happy, for me. Or I’ll be sad, if you don’t.”

Max’s jaw becomes slack, as her posture drops back slightly. _I didn’t think I can ever move on with my life. Stuck with this time travel curse and powerless to do anything about saving the people I loved. Just earlier, that girl that got shot through her spine and I couldn’t use my powers to save her. Who knows what else I’ll see in the future? But then there’s Kate, who was going to be my new partner in crime. And Rachel, my partner in time. I never felt so blessed to have these two people in my life, to save me from falling._

 _Then what happens when I get Chloe and my parents back? Will Kate and Rachel simply fade away, thanks to my new undeserving happiness? Kate will disappear when this timeline is no more. And Rachel…_ Max’s eyes unsteadily works her way towards the sad blonde girl right in front of her, meeting with her eyes. Her lips is quivering as the sorrow crushes her chest. _She’s going to be all alone. No one else will save her. Because no one will ever care about her._

“No…” Max’s voice creaks through her thick throat. She lunges forwards, grabbing both of Rachel’s arms holding her in place. The blonde flinches slightly, but the brunette holds her firmly in her hands. “These memories, I don’t ever want to forget. They hurt now. They actually hurt a lot. But one day, I’ll be strong. I don’t care whatever timelines it is. I will always want to remember everything. That two angels saved my life…” Her voice trails off into silence. Her eyes blinking rapidly, biting the inside of her lips. She whispers softly to her ears, “And I love you both.”

Rachel’s eyes drift quickly to the side, unable to maintain eye contact anymore. She lets out a laughter, through her tears, “You mean just Kate, right? You can’t love someone that you just met.” She lets out a scoff, trying to deflect Max’s warm words. She mutters quietly, under her throat with a forced smile, “Besides...you only love Chloe in any timeline.”

Max blinks rapidly, wetting her eyes despite it already being puffy. _Chloe, huh? You smile, because you want to save me and make me happy. You smile, to push me away so I won’t see you crying later._ Her heart quickens, but her arms remain steady, as they guide their way up, softly grasping at Rachel’s face, but carefully making sure she isn’t touching her scratched or bruised areas. The blonde looks back with her wide hazel eyes. The brunette’s breath quickens, while still holding onto the sobbing blonde’s face, she traces her thumb across her cheek, wiping the tears away. Her pale skin is smooth, despite the horrid bruises and discoloration that scatters across it.

Max gently releases her right hand, to brush the tousled hair, as Rachel’s eyes flutter at the feeling of it. There is some slight resistance from the blonde to shy away, but the bold brunette keeps her grip firmly in place. A glimmer of sadness coats Max’s eyes, her lips quivers, as her courage gradually depletes from this intimate and close confrontation that she isn’t used to.

Before her strength gives out, Max flutters her eyes close, and leans forward. She presses her lips tightly together, and plant it onto the blonde’s lips. With the hand that was brushing her hair, she wraps it around the weak blonde’s body, securing it in place.

Rachel’s eyes shoot wide open, taking several quick and sharp breaths, almost like she is wheezing. A sense of panic strikes through her entire body, as her heart pounds inside her heaving chest. Her arms tremble, with a weak and fruitless attempt to push away the small brunette. However, the warm touch of Max’s hands, keep her relatively at ease, soothing her anxiety.

Max slowly opens her eyes, giving eye contact to Rachel’s teary eyes. Their breaths becoming heavier, as their lips softly dance with each other. There isn’t any affectionate moans from them, because of the slight shock that still cradles in their belly from this bold and impulsive move. But slowly, it begins to feel right, as the brunette puffs a warm breath of life into Rachel’s frozen lungs. Melting the guilt and disappointment that always lingered in her. Her entire life.

Despite still kissing softly, Max musters out a friendly smile with her cheeks and eyes. This causes Rachel to smile back with joy, letting out a soft laughter. The brunette, now wraps both her arms around, finally giving a full hug and bringing their bodies closer.

Rachel’s stiff body finally relaxes, falling into the warm embrace of the younger brunette’s arms. She closes her eyes, as the tears that lingers on her eyes, falls straight down her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hey everyone. I feel relieved to finally get this chapter out. It was rather consuming because there were lots of themes I wanted to convey across. As well as lots of information from the game to build up to the next chapter. :) It took a few revisions but finally content with how this chapter is laid out, and how I wrote Kate and Rachel to be. Of course the pacing was slow at some parts, but I felt it was needed. The ending took a few tries. Obviously, Max is reserved person and has no history with Rachel. But I kept it very conservative, yet touching. I just left it as "natural" as it could be between them. Rachel can use some touching moments after the horrible events she suffered. :)
> 
> Any thoughts on the chapters, feel free to voice your opinions and comments. Thanks again for keeping up!


	19. Killing Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy theme, so may be triggering for some readers.

 

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Price Residence - 1F

#### October 14th, 2013 2:30 PM

Their warm bodies join together under the whirling dome that freezes time everywhere except inside it. Max and Rachel digs their fingers deep into each others’ clothes, as their lips dance with each other. Their heartbeat quickens along with the rising intensity of their moist lips and heated breaths.

The blonde gently pushes the obedient brunette onto her back, laying on top of her. She halts her advance for a moment, adjusting her thighs to straddle onto one of the skinny girl’s thigh. Rachel sticks out her tongue, running it along the jawbone, leaving a gleaming trail on the skin, and sending a shivering tingle into the Max’s body. The tiny girl’s eyebrows furrow and her teeth cringes partially, in mixture of embarrassment and uneasiness with overwhelming amount of passion. Rachel doesn’t give her any break, as she follows with repeating kisses with her moist lips across her neck. Max’s body stiffens up to the squelching sounds, losing most of her conscious movements. Unable to do anything else with her body, other than curl her toes hard against the tightness in her Chuck Taylor shoes. A content sigh pushes out warmly from her breath, as her upper thighs twitch to the rhythm of the wet presses of the lips.

Rachel feels the involuntary jerking underneath her. She rubs her hand, giving a nice caress with her fingers, that soothes the shivering, but also sends Max’s head, spinning. She traces it up the smooth jean material but stopping a good distance before her crotch. The surprised brunette still flinches, inadvertently hurling her saliva out of her mouth, from the sensation arriving somewhat close to the soft throbbing in the region. _Fuck...I can’t handle this anymore._

The blonde snickers, as the saliva projectile narrowly misses her. She senses she has sucked up the remaining courage left in the tiny girl, “Max, I’m sorry… I’ll stop.” She slowly pulls her body back up, while the brunette lays on her back still softly trembling from the receiving side of the warm, passionate assault. “You also like that spot where I kissed you in my timeline.” She sneers, pointing at the neck area she was just devouring. Max squeezes her eyes, with the urge to flinch to the side, but still preoccupied with catching her breath and the loss of heat. _I never felt this before. Shit, was I making funny faces?_

Rachel pulls back slightly, fluttering her eyes close and panting with the heat in her breath. Her face is feeling flushed with heat, along with the discoloration and bruises on it. She unzips her hoodie jacket, letting in the murky air of the anomaly, to help vent the glowing intensity in her body. She takes off the jacket, shimming it off her body before tossing it to the ground. She fans off the bottom of her low cut black shirt, to let off some steam from her skin, as well as possibly get the attention of the curious brunette to her generous curves. And it is successful, as the brunette’s eyes instantly crane to the direction of the bumps in the shirt. Rachel connects with the eye contact, snugly cupping her own breast, letting out a grinning smile.

Max smiles, baring her teeth at the teasing sultry blonde. She squeezes her eyes close, “I’m embarrassed. I couldn’t control my body.”

“Don’t be. I kind of went all out on you. But you hung in there, Petty Max.” She lays out her hoodie jacket, covering the lap area of the brunette’s. A glowing smile emerges on her face and she winks her eye, “Now, I got something to rub myself to, tonight.”

A flush strikes her Max’s face, finally squeezing out a nervous laughter through her steamy throat. She instinctively shields her red face in embarrassment. _I’m so uncomfortable right now, but she’s so beautiful when she smiles. I like it so much. And her tears are drying up, so I hope she's feeling better._ Max cranes her neck, towards a dangling shriveled bandage on blonde’s left wrist. It is slowly loosening up, as blood slowly forms on the gash. “Rachel, you’re bleeding.” Her breath stops even though her lungs demand for more air.

The warm colors from Rachel’s face slowly dissipates as the growing crimson gathers at her weakly tied bandage. Grimacing at the sight of it through her clenched teeth, “Shit…”

Max looks out of the dome at the stationary angel that is standing tall, overlooking them. _Kate...but she can’t do anything while I’m in here._ She turns back to the stiffening blonde, “I’m not sure if this will work. But I’ll be right back. Let me see if I can bring in some fresh bandages for you.”

Rachel gazes at the wound, looking despondent. Her eyebrows quiver with the fading warmth on her face. “Max, please come back...”

Her body is in a state of panic, scrambling for a solution. Max leans forward, giving a quick ‘I’ll be back’ peck onto the blonde’s forehead, soothing some of her wariness. “Put pressure on the wound. I promise I’ll be back, okay?” The blonde nods her head, forcing out a smile through her spinning mind. The brunette turns around, passing through the wall of the anomaly and back into the real world.

Kate recoils back, evading the clumsy hipster charging blindly right at her, “Max! What’s going on?”

The rain resumes crashing down on her body, as she forgets about the weather outside in the real world. Panting, she barely musters out an explanation with the remaining air in her body, “Rachel slit her wrist and her bandage is falling apart. I have to look and see if I can get some bandages for her. Can you please help me?” She doesn’t even wait for a proper reply as she shuffles her feet across the wet grass towards the door.

“Uhhh…” The blonde girl stretches her voice for a measure, as her blinking eyes track the brunette scrambling past her. “...Sure thing!” She squeaks out, then follows pursuit with her.

The sliding glass door opens with the two girls trying to wedge their bodies through the small entry. Joyce turns around, “Hey, that was quick. Are you guys coming in for good? Still a little longer for soup...” The time spent in the anomaly didn’t progress the time forward.

“Not yet Joyce. We will get soup later.” Max squeezes the lie through her throat, skating past the kitchen, and not even giving any eye contact. _Shit, can I bring stuff to Rachel? I guess I was able to carry my phone and bag in there, it should be the same, right?_

She hits the brake on her heels, turning around for the stairs. A ring bashes her eardrums, stopping her completely in her tracks.

A familiar but ethereal sounding voice echoes like crashing waves into her mind. “...she looked so sad. And it is her twenty-first birthday…” A tingling that feels like a cold breeze, along with menacing shadows, passing by the corner of her eyes in the house.

“...Mom?” An ice cold electricity streaks down her spine. _That is Mom’s voice. My twenty-first birthday? Is my powers evolving that I’m starting to sense the other timelines as well?_ The sting in her spine continues to weave down to her legs, causing it to be immobilized with fright. The second floor of the Price residence suddenly becomes dark and brooding, as if all the shadows has eyes on her.

Kate catches up to the brunette, but stopping in mid-stride. She heard the brunette calling to her mother, sensing something unusual. Having no doubt, she immediately presses her soft fingers into both sides of the terrified girl, calling to her, “I’m here, Max...”

The warm touch quickly builds solace within her. Max takes a deep breath, expanding her rib cages into the fingers of the Kate’s. She lifts her head with a soft nod, then they both proceed up the stairs with some renewal in courage.

With the aid of Kate, both of them are able to find the bandage and another clean towel from the upstairs bathroom. Kate offers a few tips that she learned about providing treatment to knife wounds from her younger sister Julie, the second oldest of the Marsh siblings. During a church retreat, one of Julie’s camp counselor accidentally lacerated himself while cutting down some boughs. One of the tip they mentioned, is to keep the wound elevated and above the heart to reduce the blood loss.

With the treatment items in hand, both girls race back down and into the backyard, with Max entering back into the dome. The towel, bandage roll and tape roll, stays along with her without any issue, possibly because it is in contact with her body. Rachel is still on her knees, applying pressure to the no-longer-adhesive bandage. In a graceful manner, Max quickly applies a generous sized bandage onto the wound, wrapping it completely and taping it down. She tops it off with the towel to apply manual pressure onto it.

A smile emerges alongside with the bruises on Rachel’s face, feeling blessed with the brunette providing aid for her. “Maxi, thank you so much!” She is lying on her back, with her wounded arm elevated on the knees of the photographer that is sitting in a kneeling position.

“No problem.” The bleeding has been reduced, and the bandage is fully secured. Max continues to apply ample amount of force onto the wound just to be safe. “Tell me everything that happened since the last time I saw you.”

There are many things that happened in Rachel’s timeline, since the last time they saw each other in front of the dormitory. Rachel told Max everything. The repeated tries of saving William, including the bloody attack from Corbin, as well as the revenge to him afterward. Her random visions and memories that is linked with the deceased Rachel in this timeline, including that she heard the voice of Nathan and an older man’s voice. After that, the saving of William has changed the future, allowing the return of Max’s parents. Both, absolutely despises her. And then the final attempt to try and make everything right to let William die, but accidentally fast forwarding a month into the future.

Under the charcoal hemisphere of dancing lights that looks like the constellations of the skies has fallen close to the two time travelers in it. The suffocating claustrophobic interior seemingly trap the dark and melancholic recollections of Rachel in the air. Max asks to continue the story, “So you were all alone in your apartment, and my stuff wasn’t there anymore? What else did you see?”

Rachel takes a long deep breath, pressing her aching posture into the ground for a stretch. “Well, what you see…” She points at the bruises and scratch marks, as well as the gash on her left wrist. “I saw text messages from the past month, that I’ve beaten you up and nearly strangled you to death. And that you were filing a restraining order on me.” Her throat is thick from lengthy retelling of the dreadful experience. “I found out I was in the process of taking my own life. Starting with this slash...” The brunette looks down at the arm being covered by the towel. “There was a sealed suicide letter, written by me. Apparently when I fast forward, I lose my time powers during that time. So I couldn’t reset anything back or jump into this timeline.”

Max’s body stiffens, her muscles becoming cold and rigid. _Rachel could have died. Then I would have waited forever and never knew she’s been dead this entire time._ She halts her pensive thoughts, “What else did it say?”

“Everything got fucked up. I lost you and Chloe… In both timelines, now.” Rachel’s voice trails off, as the tears rest securely on her glassy eyes, clouding her vision.

The brunette leans her weight, glancing around at the yard, which is a shadow of itself through the gray filter. “But you ended up here…”

“I was hiding in my car… you were coming back from your twenty-first birthday with Chloe. You guys are together now.” Rachel forces the words through her straining smile. “You guys are going to be together in every timelines.”

The way she says ‘every timelines’ jams a crushing amount of guilt into Max’s throat. But something else in her sentence ignites fresh breath of interest. “My twenty-first birthday?” Max’s eyes drift towards the house, then back. “Rachel, when I ran back into the house, I heard Mom’s voice.” Rachel eyebrows furrow. “I heard ‘she looked so sad. And it is her twenty-first birthday’.” She wets her lips, “So I think that I’m sad that you’re not with me on my own birthday.”

Rachel stares back blankly for a moment. Her neck relaxes, with her lips mouthing something silently, perhaps sensing a slight glimmer of hope. She, then bites the inside of her lips, squashing that wishful thinking and being incredulous. “That doesn’t mean anything. She could be sad for other reasons, and doesn’t mean she wants me back.” She takes a deep breath, her voice becoming more stern. “But that means your powers are growing.”

Her eyes dart side to side rapidly, “I don’t think so…”

She reaches over with her right hand, barely making it over to Max’s, gently stroking the jean material. “This means you won’t need me anymore in the future. I’ve lost my only use to you.”

Max gives steady eye contact to the vacant eyes of the blonde, remaining speechless. She wants to say something comforting, but her anxious thoughts about the powers has left her throat, hollow of words. _I don’t know if I ever want to use my powers after what happened last week._

“It’s fine.” Rachel dips her chin to the side against her shoulder blade. She changes the subject, “We have to get going. But Max, there is something I want to tell you and you’re going to be disappointed in me.”

“What? What is it?”

The blonde takes a deep breath, trying to calm the tightening of her chest. “I don’t think I can bring back Kate.”

A flush of heat rushes into Max’s face, clouding her mind completely that her body winces. _Shit...I was so worried about this._ Her eyes are blinking as rapidly as they are spinning, along with her pulse, soaring. This is the one thing that is going to make this rewind regretful, is dropping this amazing friend and her memories. Just like Chloe from last week. Trying not to raise her voice any more than it needs to, “You can’t? Are you sure, Rachel?”

“Max, when I was rewinding Kate’s memories earlier, it was going slow and very draining to my body and powers.” Her breathing is shallow from the blood loss. She isn’t even in a good state to begin with, especially if she wants to take over the body of Rachel in this timeline. “It is going to take forever to rewind six whole months, and with myself as a corpse.” Both her head and heart shudders at the dreadful thought of being a cadaver again. And for that nightmare to last for an extended period this time.

Max remains with a stiff stance, glaring at the weakened blonde girl. _Why can’t she just rewind without taking over Rachel’s body? Is she hiding something? Kate was a little reserved with this Rachel, questioning her stability. Could she be purposely dropping Kate out of pure jealousy? Either way, I probably powerless to change her mind._ She reaches over with the tip of her fingers, barely brushing the blonde’s tousled hair, while still keeping the wounded arm on her knees, stationary. She shrugs half-heartedly, “Maybe it isn’t as bad as you think.”

Rachel looks back with steady eyes and a stony expression. “I don’t think I can make it. I may just run out of steam and end up forever in her corpse or dropping her somewhere out of time. I just didn’t want to guarantee anything.” She turns her head, scooting her body a few inches closer, “...or maybe you can forget about me, and just get both Kate and Chloe back. One week isn’t nearly as bad as six months. I should be able to pull that off.” Rachel presses her lips together, forming an unsteady smile. “You will like that right? You can have both Chloe and Kate…”

Max feels her pulse, stopping for a moment, looking dearly at the blonde girl. _That would be amazing. To have Chloe and Kate...and Jefferson and Nathan in jail. But... Rachel will be dead._ She feels her pulse returning, coursing through her veins. _And that smile again… She wants to sacrifice Rachel’s life just to keep Kate’s memories? I will have to see Chloe’s reaction to her death again. Then one day, I have to explain it to both of them, that this was my decision. Shit, Chloe and Kate would be so pissed at me._ She shakes her head profusely, and clenching a fist, “No, we can leave Kate here.” Her soon-to-be best friend will have to be left behind in this dying timeline. “Let’s save all of us, okay? So we are all alive.”

Rachel looks on with a blank stare, with trembling lips, “Max, if you can’t deal with breaking the news to Kate. We can just go ahead and…”

She interrupts, “No, I promised I would tell her.” Her nails dig into her jeans. “I will do it. I will keep my promise.”

The blonde lets out a soft sigh, a commendable relief to see the bravery in Max. But same time, sensing the pain she is going to have. “Be her friend, Max. Always and forever. And tell her thanks for the tip on stopping the bleeding.”

Max wets her lips and nodding her head. She carefully picks up the wounded arm on her knees, and gently rest it on the towel on the ground, so it is still partially elevated to help with the healing. She crawls closer, until she is overarching the blonde’s head. Her brown bangs dangle in the air, before lowering it to give another soft kiss on the blonde’s forehead. _I know I was having some second thoughts about kissing her earlier, but I have no regrets. She cares a lot about me, even when she doesn’t have to._ “Both of you and Kate. I will always remember.”

“I know. You can always meet Kate, later.” Rachel says in calm voice. “And Max… one last thing.” The brunette shifts her weight on her supporting hands, to give her full attention. “I have one rule that you must obey when we go back in time. It is very important that you follow it.”

“Sure. What is it?”

Rachel combs her shirt uneasily, tensing up her abdomen. “You have to proceed with your life, like normal in Seattle. You cannot contact Chloe, the school, or Kate. Or tell your parents about anything. No one can know.”

The young photographer’s head jerks back, “Wait...what?!”

“You’re going to stay in Seattle with your parents. That’s my order.”

“No fucking way.” Her voice rises, and her heart is racing, “I’m coming to Arcadia Bay first thing.”

“No Max…” She wants to grab ahold of the brunette, but her own fierce tone is aggravating the dizziness in her head. “...Even your parents died as a result of Chloe’s death. We can never be sure about anything else now. Other than you have to continue your life the way you remembered in Seattle.”

“So, you expect me to worry sick about everyone for the next six months?”

“Once I’m in the clear and feel it is safe. I will contact you. You know I have to be careful with all of this around Chloe. You know how reckless she is.”

 _She’s right._ Max cringes her face, wanting to palm it, knowing that Rachel is correct about this. She concedes, “Alright. I’ll do my part and just sit on my fucking ass here in Seattle. But Rachel, if something bad happens… I want you to run. Call me or call the cops. I don’t care. You’re already putting your life in danger for me. I want you to be safe. All of us.”

“I will, Max.”

Max pulls out the prom picture from her pocket, showing it to Rachel. “March 28th is a Vortex Club party. Which is about a week after this prom picture. I think you’re safe during that party but that’s my cut off date. If I don’t hear anything from you by then, I’m going to call the cops. I’m going to take a train to Portland, and a bus to Arcadia Bay. I’m going to tell David Madsen everything. Me and Chloe are going to raise hell onto those fuckers.”

“Okay. Just don’t let your emotions take over. Don’t be careless and do anything that will get yourself arrested or killed, okay?”

“I know.” She nods her head, her eyes drift back pondering about something. _There is that picture of Audrey and Rachel. That could be a better picture._ “There is another picture, that I may consider using instead, though. You’re in it. I have to ask Kate to look it up for me.”

Rachel nods her head, tilting back in the direction of Kate, “Okay. Good luck, Max.”

She nods her head, putting the photo back into her pocket. Her legs struggles, but eventually succeeds in pulling itself up. She straightens up her tense body, looking at the distorted figure of the church girl in the distant through the haze. _Alright Max, let’s do this._

Max dawdles out of the warping anomaly, weaving her legs through the moist grass. Almost forgetting again the rain is coming down in contrast with eerily, calm setting in that suffocating dark pocket.

Kate’s eyes twitch at the sight of the abrupt and unnatural movement of the brunette moving towards her. Noticing that the roll of bandage has disappeared from her hands, “Is she doing okay? Did the bleeding stop?” She leans closer with snooping eyes, acknowledging the pouty face of the brunette. She blinks rapidly, trying to clear the raindrops trapped in her lashes, “Please...” She holds her hands together against her chest like she is praying. “...tell me she is fine.”

The genuine concerns from the sweet angel breaks Max’s heart instead of lifting it. Especially with the news that she is going to have to share with her. She slows down the pace with her hands tucking in her pocket. She stomps her legs like a child, kicking droplets that are hanging on the blades of the grass up in the air. She stops just a few feet in front of the Kate, avoiding eye contact. “No, she’s fine. She also told me to tell you thanks for the tip you got from Julie.”

Kate lets out a puff of relief, as a sunny smile emerges on her face. “Oh of course! No problem. I’m so relieved.” She raises her eyebrows, tipping her nose up, “So how did it go? What did she say?” She takes a hop forward, with her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her toes in an adorable way.

Max doesn’t take notice of it. She looks up, staring out into the distant, watching the drops of rain crashing into the leaves of the trees. This world is lively in comparison to the pale, dead void of emptiness with Rachel. The strong, huffing wind in the air, feels great to just forget about everything for tiny moment. The branches of the trees will not be flailing much longer. Neither is the sheet of thunderstorm clouds above them. As this world is going to end. “Kate…” Her eyebrows furrow, cringing and bracing for impact. “It is time now…” How she said it, sounds similar to Chloe’s words before she was sacrificed to save the town. Now, this time it is Kate. While it is a different situation than Chloe’s, somehow it feels very similar.

“It’s time?” Her words come out slowly, her eyes widening. She gulps her throat, “Now?” Her voice trails off and her eyes dart around, scanning all around the backyard, as if she is seeking for a safe haven from a catastrophe. “No-no-no...I’m not ready for this. I know I said I was...but you came back so fast!” She points back at the kitchen, her cheery eyes gleaming, “Can’t we have soup and tea? Just one last time, Max!” She points her index finger up into the air.

“Kate, I would love to.” Max sniffs, her eyes making soft contact with the her. “But she wants to do it now.”

The rain begins to come down harder, or perhaps the brief silence is becoming unsettling making the surrounding crashes of water more pronounced. Kate raises her feverish voice, “Did you ask her? If she can bring me back with you? My memories...”

Frustration brews deep inside Max’s belly with the whole disappointing news. Her hands fidget restlessly, digging her nails hard into her skin until it becomes white. “I did ask, but she doesn’t think she can bring you back. It really burns up her body and powers when she does that. And she has no idea if she can do it for the whole six months.” Her eyes shift around uneasily, and her body is slumping over in defeat. _I still wonder if Rachel is jealous of Kate. That is probably why I’m a little bummed. This could be what the other Rachel was saying in my dream, this morning._ “She said it’s possible but very unlikely. So it is best we say our goodbyes now. Just in case.” She tries to sugarcoat it, but it doesn’t make it any better.

“Maybe you didn’t try enough…” Kate mutters, slightly louder than a whisper, not fully trusting the words of her friend. She peels away, walking straight towards the corner of the yard. “Is she over here, Max?” She points at whirling vortex that is actually an empty section of grass to her, “Rachel? Are you sitting on the ground?”

“Kate…” Max walks over, barely seeing the non-time traveler through the ripple in time. Rachel’s body is already out of it, perhaps to conserve her energy in her astral form, or to eavesdrop the conversation.

Kate sits down politely on her knees, on the wet grass. Her hair bun is completely drenched, with water streaming down her face from the connecting wet bangs. The discomfort didn’t diminish the joy in her face, “Hi, Rachel! I’m Kate Beverly Marsh!” She clears her throat, “I know you didn’t go to Blackwell Academy in your timeline, but I’m a student in it, just like Max.” She smiles back at the frowning girl, “Max has been absolutely a blessing to be with... As my friend and all. Well...I owe her. She saved my life. I have a lot to thank her. Now I think about it... Darn it, I never did have a chance to formally thank her.” She shouts at the motionless girl, “Max, come over here.”

“Kate, you’re in the dome. It’ll freeze the time if I enter.”

She spread out her arms, giving an invitation for a hug, “Max, come on!”

“No! It doesn’t work that way.”

“Oh fine...” Kate turns back to face in front of her, as if Rachel is there. “What I’m trying to say is, Max is very important to me. She’s my real angel.” She holds both of her hands to her chest. The building tension is choking her throat, as she gulps to ease it. She nods her head solemnly, “I know the stuffs you’re trying to fix, like bringing back Chloe and Max’s parents. It may seem like I’m no longer relevant anymore…” Her voice trails off.

“Kate, please.” She takes a step forward, but stopping at the edge of the dome. The words are shattering her heart, “Stop it…”

Kate continues in a calm with a hint of melancholy tone, “I’ve always been a weak person...well actually I am still weak. But my mind is very opened up now. I know I can stand up to anything.” She breaks her stern look for a moment, with a playful angry expression, clenching her fists, “I would like to protect and be there for Max, even if she thinks both you and Chloe are enough. But I can help out. You know I can, because that’s why you rewound my memory last night, right?” She shakes her head, tossing the loose locks of hair around, “No more bullies. I won’t cower and just cry anymore. To you, it hardly means anything if Max saved my life in another timeline. But all this time travel things just opened my mind in so many ways. All these multiple timelines...” Her eyebrows furrow, focusing ahead of her, “I want to help you too, Rachel. Whether it is this timeline or yours. I know you have a story to tell, so I want to meet you in person one day. I want to be there for you. Max. Chloe. I want to meet everyone. All four of us. Forever together.”

Tears are starting to come back in her eyes. Max repeats herself softly, “Stop it...”

“Please, I beg of you. Take me back with you.” Kate puts her hands together over her chest. She sobs softly, her voice is cracking into a whisper, “Please…”

Max shouts through her clenched teeth, waving at her, “Kate! Come over here.”

The rain continues to pound the earth relentlessly in the mid afternoon. The strumming of the water crashing into the rooftops doesn’t hide the sobbing coming from the distorted figure through the anomaly. Max looks on with a helpless gaze. _Is this all worth it? Is this what Rachel went through? Trying to save William, but end up backfiring and ruining everything else._ A streak of light flashes behind her, briefly lightening up all the shadows in the yard. _There’s no way my predicament is as bad as Rachel was. She had a bad reputation everywhere to begin with, and there’s no way that’s going to happen to me. Saving my parents and Chloe is the best decision...isn’t it?_ A low thunder rumbles across, shaking the scene, and sending a tremor through her body.

Kate slowly shakes her head in denial, “So this is really it? She won’t do anything?”

She snaps out of her burdening thoughts, blinking her eyes, “Kate, she can’t.”

Kate stands back on her feet, hurrying towards the brunette in a frantic manner, pushing her back a few steps. She grabs both of her hands, shaking them softly, “Max, you know I wasn’t ever going to leave your side. If you ever need someone, I will be there for you. I’ll do everything…” Her voice trails off into a squeak. She clenches her jaws, dipping her head down, “You don’t even care, do you?”

Max interlocks their fingers together, “Kate, no... I do care.”

She is unaffected by the words, “So why am I just being tossed to the side? I know I’m not as important as Chloe and your parents. I understand that. But why am I…” She pouts her face, lips quivering, “...so worthless?” Her teary eyes make contact, “So this is it? You’re going to just shape all your dreams? The perfect dream you can ever possibly have now?” She lets out an pant, filled with anguish, “But what about the dreams that you could have in this future?”

Max’s muscles tense up, trying to fend off the accusatory remarks, “Kate, once everything settles down, I’m gonna find you and we’re going to be friends-”

Kate interrupts, responding with a sudden fierce tone, “I don’t care about the other version of me. I want us to still be friends in this timeline, is that too much to ask?”

The brunette puts both of her hands up, trying to calm down the seething anger in the enraged girl. “I swear to it. Everything is going to be like we are now.” She places her hand over her heart, making a promise. “God will be my witness.”

She mumbles something inaudible underneath her breath. With bitterness in her tone, “Who cares…” She takes off her cross necklace and throws it as hard as she can across the yard. The amount of force she just exerted, has left her frustrated body slumping.

“Kate!” Max quickly dashes after the necklace that is lying in a small puddle of water. She picks it up, wiping and cleaning it on her soaked skin. She makes her way back to the blonde, steadily holding the chain of the necklace in her fingers. But then the fierce aura radiating from Kate, paralyzes her legs despite not even giving direct eye contact yet.

Kate stares deeply into the moist sea of grass beneath her shoes, which dances with the falling drops of rain. She mutters quietly under her breath, “How is this different than jumping off a rooftop? I’m dead anyways. This world is over.”

Max takes an uneasy step forward, almost stumbling in mid stride. She holds out the necklace towards her, “Here...take this back.”

The blonde puffs through her raspy throat, “Get that away from me.”

“This is your faith. Don’t do this.”

Kate scoffs, continuing in a condescending attitude, “Nice going, Max. You call me a fucking bible thumping moron, so you can come up with some stock apology with the word ‘God’, thinking it will instantly melt my heart? You’re not fooling anyone…” She cranes her head, glaring with her venomous eyes. “Not even Rachel…”

The jaws of the brunette drops, shaking her head slowly in denial. “No…” Her eyes glance all around, as the hurtful words from Kate is also spewing to another invisible listener to this conversation. _She was really hoping that Rachel could bring her back, as well. But of course, she was..._ “Kate...you were just telling me that you would do the same thing when we were in Chloe’s room.”

“Yeah…” She claws at her hair bun, ripping out a few locks of hair from it. She hisses through her throat, “Then I realized there are people that are simply ungrateful with everything in their life.” She glowers at the brunette, “You give them everything you have. Your care and love.” Her throat thickens, but her voice still remains fierce, “But when the opportunity for something better comes, their true colors come out. They become a coward and toss you to the side when they’re done with you.”

Max stumbles back a step, as a stinging sensation runs down her shoulders, weighing them down. She grasps at her chest, which is being pounded by the harsh words. “I came back...just to have this talk with you.”

Kate presses her lips together in a smug fashion. “Then just go...end this miserable world already. Let it all burn to hell.” She clenches her fist, “Go have fun with Chloe. It's really all you care about anyways. And stay away from me. Don’t fool me into being your friend. Ever. No matter what timeline.”

Max stumbles back another step, her head tilting up, letting the rain hammer onto her face. She whimpers, “I can’t do this anymore…”

“Go end this now...” The resentful girl points at the direction of the anomaly, “If you think I will ever be your friend after today, you are clearly mistaken.” The shoulders of the brunette tightens, her feet roots on the spot despite wanting to flee. She turns towards the kitchen as a glimmering hope for escape. Kate tracks her eye movement, then she snarls, “I’m going to hit you if you run away now.”

Her legs buckle against the threatening voice of Kate, who never ever been so fierce and relentless. Perhaps, all the frustration of being neglected has finally come out. The terror sends a crushing blow into the Max’s body. She can feel the separate warm beads of sweat coming out of her body, like needles in her skin. _I’ve never seen this side of Kate before, or anything even close to it. She hates me. She will hate me forever. I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry…_

She takes out the photo of the prom picture, holding it forward towards the blonde girl with both hands. “Kate, you asked if my medicine ever help with my sickness...”

The fierce anger slowly dissipates from Kate, relaxing the tense muscle on her face, as she remains silent.

“It doesn’t… I’m sick. I will always be sick. There is no cure for what I have. Not even time travel powers can give me friends, or keep them. I just have to accept it.” With no hesitation, she shreds the picture in half.

“No…” Kate quickly reaches out, swiping towards the falling pieces. Her eyes sinks along with the two halves of the photo, falling separately among the raindrops. She lets out a cry of anguish, “Max!”

She looks down with a blank expression, at the two halves of the picture slowly weaving through the air towards the grass, drifting away from her.

“Max…” Rachel mutters in a low chiding voice.

A ringing sound combining with a show of red flame kindling into the air and swallowing the two girls. The two halves of the photo freezes in the air before crashing into the ground, the sound lowering in intensity to a deep, low growl. Then, the whirling sound kicks in, as the motion of the falling pieces reverse, along with everything else. The two pieces sails back up in the air, right into the hands of the brunette, adjoining it back to a whole picture. All of the sudden, the sound of the rain resumes with Max blinking rapidly, her body wobbling, disoriented from everything.

The sound of a sharp gag, following with some gasps for air, materializes out of the thin air. Max tenses up at the alarming sound of it. “Rachel?” She mutters with wide eyes.

Kate shakes her head, realizing what just happened and that the picture has returned back to the brunette’s hand, completely intact. And that her memories also got preserved. “Max!” her mind is still racing, as she dashes forward, grabbing tightly onto the Max’s hands to prevent her from tearing the photo again. 

Rachel responds back with a soft voice. “Max… I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Max’s eyes glance around, nodding her head, acknowledging the ghost's words. Her hands is still trembling with the photo in her hands. _Rachel, rewound the time to prevent me from tearing this photo up._ Her eyes quietly shifts toward the blonde in front of her, who is tugging on her hands.

Kate’s eyes are giving a distant stare into the photo, with her expression slowly softening up from before. “Hold on... What sickness are you talking about? Your social anxiety?”

Max gives a moment to calm herself, after the rather abrupt decision to tear apart the photo in her hands. “Well... that. And…” She tilts her head down, just inches from the cold shoulder of Kate’s. “I don’t know if I can ever accept Chloe and my parents’ deaths. At least truly accept that they’re dead like a normal person would.” She gently pries her right fingers from Kate's, then gripping it in the air, with straining effort. “I still have my powers and it's still growing…but why?” She quickly clenches it into a fist, covering her mouth. “Like when I heard Mom’s voice just inside the house.” Her lips quiver, as the sweet voice of her mother is still very fresh in her mind. “And even Rachel… Sure, it is a different one, but my mind still associate with what happened to her.” Kate closes her eyes, pressing her lips together and sympathizing with Max's words. “I really want to save them all, but I can’t. And for some damn reason, I can never get over that.”

“Max…” her voice calms down drastically. “I’m sorry, I got carried away.” Her stare is less focused, as she rubs her nose against her shoulder, examining to find there's no blood leaking out of it. “I know deep down inside you don't want to make this decision. Just like how you chose the town over Chloe. But here I am, pushing you and making this even more difficult for you.”

She shakes her head in silent. _It is like making that fucking decision again..._

“Max…” She repeats again, gently pulling the photo from the shaken up girl, and places it with care, into the safety of her messenger bag. “I said very terrible things to you, and I’m so sorry for that.” Kate’s sympathetic voice is returning.

“Kate… I don’t want to-”

She interrupts her, “No...you have to do it. I want you to do it, now.” She reaches out to grab Max’s shoulder. “Like you said, for all of us. So Chloe, your parents and Rachel will be alive.” She inches her face closer, letting her warm breath to be felt. “Promise me, we’ll be friends, okay?”

“After what an ungrateful shit I’ve been? And you still mean all that?”

Kate throws her arm in a playful tantrum manner, as her adorable personality comes back. “You’re darn right.” She tips her nose up, glancing all around her. “And thank you so much, Rachel.”

The wave of comfort slowly trickles back into her stiff cold body, soothing Max. She lets out a giggle, as some of the heat returns slowly back to her face from Kate’s warm smile. Feeling a bit more relaxed, her throat is little more calm now, “Kate…” Her eyes drift away, “I really do care about you. You were here to support me when my parents died. Even in the other timelines, I really saw something amazing in you. You always said the right things to people and you’re a selfless person.” Her eyes return back with steady contact, “I’m so undeserving out of all of this. Chloe, who I basically left her to rot in this town for five years. And there’s Rachel who is using her powers to help me with all of this…” She glances over at the whirling dome, seeing that there is still no one in it. Something is bubbling at the pit of her belly, but she finds the courage speak it. “...this Rachel is just going to go back in her own timeline and slowly rot there as well. I know, because she told me she has no one there anymore. And I know she won’t let me help her out at all.” Her voice trails off, still feeling a tad awkward to be talking about Rachel, who is listening all of this.

“Rachel…” Kate drifts her fingers, to the bangs of the brunette, brushing it. “She doesn’t think you can do anything to help her?”

“I don’t know if I even can, to be honest. Her powers is more powerful than mines.” Max looks deeply into the eyes of the angel, with a soft smile. “But your words about ‘no more cowering and crying’ inspired me. I need to do that.”

“Please do whatever you can, to protect her.”

Max presses her lips tightly, nodding her head. She bursts out and wraps her arms around Kate, bringing her close for a tight hug. The blonde angel also extends out her arms to welcome the warm embrace. “I will Kate.” Their faces are just inches from each other. And their breaths are warm and close. Heating each other against the cold pouring rain. “Kate, I’ve never felt so wanted and cared by anyone since Chloe.” She takes a deep breath, to ease her tight throat. “...Maybe because I never been with anyone, loved by anyone… or never had that many people that accepted me for who I am…” She lets out a puff of air, quietly dipping her head in shame.

With her nose, Kate prods playfully into the pouty girl to draw her attention. She gives her usual sunny smile that warms the air around them.

Max grins, with some courage in her throat to continue. “I finally got a taste of what Rachel is feeling now. I’m going to see you in another timeline, and you won’t know anything about me or what we have done together. This world was probably going to end for me. With my parents dead and Chloe murdered by Nathan, and seeing the girl that got shot in the spine, reminded myself how fragile and hopeless I am with my powers. I’m pretty sure I was going to just end it all. Take my own life and just be done with it.” The hissing of the rain drowns out her sniffing, as it paint pearls of rain onto their faces. “The ghost of my mother must have guided me to come to your room yesterday’s morning with that phone call. She knew you would be the only one in my life that could protect me, like a real angel. I know we haven’t met each other that long. Which shows how fucked up time travel is, because I feel we have been through a lot already. But whatever timeline I end up, I don’t ever want to forget these memories.” A warm flush fills across her drenched cheeks. “I love you, Kate.” The brunette’s shoulders shudder at her own words, as those words feel very foreign to come out of her mouth. Even though she said it earlier to Rachel and Chloe, it is still a uncertain and vague concept for her.

Kate gently breaks the grasp, pressing her knuckles into her face, covering the blush she obtained from the touching words.

Max looks on, not wanting to follow up with any more physical touch. She didn’t want to. _I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I love Chloe. I just told Rachel I loved her. And now...Kate? How can I possibly be in love with these people, all at once? But at the same time, how could I NOT be in love with these people? They all care about me. And I don’t ever want to forget about them._ She blinks her eyes, glancing at the absorbed girl, “I’m sorry…”

Kate mumbles through her hands in a cheery voice, “No, not at all.” She blinks rapidly, then giving a distant stare, even though the grass is a few feet away from her face. Perhaps those kind words will make it even harder to let go of each other. “Thank you, Max.” Her eyes focus back on the brunette. “Ever since I found out about your time travel powers...it really opened up my mind. Just about everything. And I really do mean, everything.” Her eyes dart left and right, as many thoughts are constantly processing in her mind. “If Chloe didn’t get shot in the bathroom, I would have taken my own life by jumping off the roof. If Chloe died, and I listened to my mother’s text to stay away from you. Then, you would have taken your own life. If Rachel didn’t rewind my memories, I would just have thought of you as another classmate, that sadly ended her own life, not knowing at all what you went through. I wouldn’t have known that you saved my life in another timeline.”

Max looks at the angel, seeing how much thoughts she has been doing. “Kate…”

The beads of water runs down the length of the resting long blonde hair. Kate continues on with a calm voice, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. It was one crazy day. And you were mourning for your parents’ death, so I didn’t want to say anything. My mother has been texting me, and threatening me. She is…” She corrects herself, “...She was going to come by later this week to Blackwell Academy.” Her eyebrows quiver, through her bangs, showing resentment. “...Dragging my father, and my sisters along just to give me a public scolding to humiliate me. And to say that I’ve become a disgrace and failed to be proper role model to my sisters.” She looks at the Max through her bangs, “And she was going to come say some awful things to you.” Kate clenches her jaws, baring her teeth. “I love my mother, but that crosses the line. I would have stared into her eyes, and tell her ‘Leave my friend, alone’.”

Max presses her lips together, biting her bottom lip. “Kate, I don’t ever want you to choose between me and your family. I’m so not worth it.”

Kate smiles, softly nodding her head, “Max, you suffered so much. To have your week-long adventures with Chloe stripped away from you because of a damn stupid tornado. I want you to be happy.” She runs her fingers down the sides of the brunette, making her body quiver at the warm touch. “So, go back now and save Chloe and Rachel. And I say it again, promise me, you’ll still be my friend, okay? You’re my angel. And I love you, too.”

The brunette gazes at the soft fingers, caressing at her sides, “Kate, how do you do this?”

“Do what?”

“You always look at the bright side in people. Even to an undeserving asshole like me. No matter how much the world disappoint you, you stand back up with a friendly smile. Trying to make this awful world into a better place. We don’t deserve it.”

Kate’s eyes wander away, pushing her lips for a soft and tender smile, “I try my best to be nice and understanding to everyone. Because you never know when someone needs someone.” She gently brushes the short sleeve of the purple shirt, “Like you for example… You could use someone by your side after what you been through. You’re a hero. And even you need an angel.” She runs her fingers up to the aching shoulder, gently massaging it. “Now go… Go back to your best friend and family. They’re waiting for you.”

Max pushes her sobbing voice through her tight throat, “You were going to be my best friend.”

Kate’s smile deepens for a moment, but then it relaxes back. “It’s time to wake up from this dream, Max.”

Her eyebrows quiver at the words, as her eyes sink down to her wrist, finding the cross necklace still dangling on it. Max picks it up delicately with her fingers, holding it by the ends. She looks up at the naked neck of the blonde.

Kate flutters her eyes close like a sleeping angel, as the necklace gets place around her neck. Max looks on breathlessly at her beautiful face, securing it on her neck. She retracts her hands back as Kate’s eyes open with a welcoming smile.

They gaze deeply into each other's eyes, their face is unaffected by the drops of rain sprinkling against them. _Just last night outside the dormitory, I was going to rewind so Kate would forget about what I said. Who knew that this is going to be so difficult to do?_ Max tilts her body closer, so their faces are inches from each other. Kate slowly closes her eyes, maintaining her sweet smile.

Max’s eyes lock onto the beautiful lips of Kate’s, her pulse is racing again, and her breath getting push out unsteadily. She tips her head up, slowly closes in, and planting her lips softly against the angel’s forehead. Couple of strands of the wet blonde hair gets in the way, but it did not detract from the kiss any more. Max blindly fumbles her fingers down making successful contact with Kate’s fingers, who instantly interlocks back with intensity.

This sends a warm signal to continue. Max continues her way down, gently caresses the tip of her lips onto the smooth skin, running it down to the tip of nose. Kate’s body twitch from the sensitive spot, letting out a quick sharp exhale. She gives a moment for her body to settle down. But before she can continue downwards, Kate pulls away, with her body shifting to a hunch.

Max gazes on with the sudden loss of heat from her fingertips and lips. _Shit, I messed something up, huh?_ She lets out an unsatisfying sigh. The whirling vortex in the background, reminds herself of the original mission. _I kissed Rachel, and… well I was going to kiss Kate...Fuck._ She flutters her eyes close, chewing on the bottom lip. _Rachel had to be watching all of this. She’s probably very jealous._ “I’m sorry Kate…”

Kate turns, giving unsteady and distant eye contact. Instead of saying any words, she shrugs her shoulder with a silent ‘No problem’, and tucking in her upper lip.

 _Shit… Like always I can never stop fucking it up with people._ She fights the urge to let out a groan, in absolute disappointment with herself. Her shoulder hunches over, turning her attention to the messenger bag by her side. Perhaps a subject change is what is needed for this awkward silence. “Hey Kate... do you have that picture of Audrey and Rachel? It is possible we may use it.”

Still remaining silent but diligent, Kate takes out her phone with a sleepy gaze. After a few taps later, she hands the phone to Max. “Will this help?”

Max takes the phone, seeing the exact same picture that Courtney had. She forces out a straining smile, adding some forced enthusiasm to hopefully curb the dryness in the air, “Thank you, so much Kate.”

Kate nods silently, and stand to the side, allowing a direct path for the brunette to walk to the rift. “Goodbye, Max.” She says in a nonchalant voice, with a wandering gaze.

Max looks on at Kate, who almost an expressionless face. A part of her wants to hug her, but she blows off that urge. She brushes off some grass off her jeans, purposely lingering a few moments longer, hopefully for the quiet blonde to turn towards her, but she doesn’t. _She’s upset that this world is gonna end. I don’t blame her…_ She drags her heavy legs soaked in water, with the phone in her hand. Kate’s phone vibrates, giving a pop-up text message notification.

> **Mom:** Why aren’t you responding? Are you with that whore? I cannot allow you to torment the family any longer. (2:43 PM)

Max’s eyebrows lower as the pop-up message disappears from the screen. _Her mother is crazy…_ Her body cringes at the hateful message, as she heads toward the whirling dome. It seems like it is the bright light at the end of the tunnel, but in reality she doesn’t feel like a winner.

Before Max can enter into the whirling vortex, Kate collides into her, wrapping her arms around from behind. She dips her head over the right shoulder, giving the clumsy hipster a kiss on her cheek. She taps her nose into her face, nuzzling it softly. Max lets out a soft sigh, her body loll, but is still standing on her weakening legs.

Kate runs her fingers down the brunette’s arm, all the way to her hand. She lifts it up giving it a quick adoring kiss. Still holding onto it, “I’m praying for your safety, Rachel’s, and Chloe’s as well.” She slowly releases the hand, then she puts both her hands in front of her chest for a prayer. “Now go…”

 _I do feel bad for trying to kiss her on the lips when it is uncomfortable for her. That's what I get for trying to be smooth. But I'm glad she isn't too upset about it._ Max gazes at her for a moment, a soft smile slowly emerging. She nods her head, then proceeds into the rift with an odd mixture of invigoration and unwillingness. Inside it, she sees Rachel standing in the center of the dome with loose shoulders, and both hands in the pockets. The bandage is still secure on her left wrist.

“Rachel…” Max says in a soft tone with wandering eyes. “I’m sorry about that. Are you okay?”

Rachel straightens her posture with a forced smile. “I’m good. Are you ready?” She didn’t have anything to say, even though she observed the whole ordeal with Kate.

 _I really hope she doesn’t retaliate against me._ Max rubs her elbows, fidgeting her body. “Yeah… I think I am.” She takes out the prom photo from the messenger bag, and holds it against Kate’s phone. “Can you take a look at these photos? Is there anything you can sense in them?”

Rachel walks over, looking over the shoulder of the brunette. She squints her eyes at each one, blinking rapidly. Her head alternates between the two pictures, with an inquiring expression. “I can see both goes back quite a bit from today.” She reaches for Kate’s phone examining it deeper, “But I think this picture is a little earlier than your prom one. But I think they are both very close together.”

“So you can kind of gauge how far a photo or setting is, with your time travel power?”

She shrugs her shoulder, “I never done it before, but I do feel a sensation of the length of the travel. Of course it isn’t very clear or defined.”

Max puts the prom picture away, “Well you’re in that picture as well. So you look safe opposed to the uncertainty with my prom one. And that’s Audrey. I saw her earlier today.” She wets her lips, “Because her father is arrested, they’re looking for some foster parent. Some guy named Ted applied...”

Rachel’s eyebrows raise in her blank expression, hearing that name. “Ted? Do you know if he is a nurse at Arcadia Bay Hospital?”

“Yeah he is. Rachel, do you know him?”

She looks on with a distant gaze, not having much of a reaction. “...Let’s go, Max. I need all my strength right now. Let me focus on this photo to get a better idea.” She walks in close to Max, squeezing her close with her right arm. And with her wounded arm, holding onto Kate’s phone.

“Okay…” Max lazily buries her head into the shoulder of the blonde. She tilts her head to the side, glancing at the lone angel outside the dome. The one that is going to be left behind with all this. Voices from her recent memories echoes into her mind.

 _“Wherever I end up after this...in whatever reality...all those moments between us were real, and they’ll always be ours.”_ The sobbing tone from her old best friend still sends a chill into her spine. All the awful events that has happened in Arcadia Bay will get erased, filling in fresh new memories. For better or worse.

 _“Honey, wake up first and meet your friend, Kate.”_ Her mother’s voice in that phantom phone call, perhaps hinting that this is the correct path in life to take.

 _“Max, you can always come to talk to me with anything, okay? We got each other now, okay?”_ Joyce, who sees Max as practically her daughter and shares a similar pain.

 _“Let’s pinky swear on this. That we will do our best at it. If one of us slips, we will pick each other back up.”_ Kate’s words remind how important it is to stick together, if one is left behind...

_Is this the right decision? What if I’m always stuck in time forever? Always going back and never moving forward. This experience is something that transcends all humans, and probably even the higher beings, if there are any. Will I ever move on with my life with these powers?_

Tears gather at the edge of her eyes, clouding the vision from the already distorted looking figure of Kate. _She is gone. Only I’ll keep her memory from now on. Don’t worry Kate, I promise I will pick you back up once we go back in time._ The running flood of thoughts in her mind slowly subsides, as the faint but raspy breathing of Rachel’s slowly fades in. Louder and louder, it draws Max’s attention to the weariness of the blonde. _Rachel rewound me from ripping the photo. Shit, that was a waste since we’re using the photo of Audrey. But I guess that calmed Kate down quickly. That must have drained her energy. She was already weakening..._ She tips her head, getting a glimpse of her. “...Rachel?”

The heaving blonde is also fixating at Kate, then her eyes drift down at the curious hipster. She whispers to her, “I’ll see you on the other side. I’ll come to you.” She plants her lips on her forehead, then she pets the wet messy brown hair. “Go and rest your head down. We’re gonna go now.”

Max nods softly, then collapses her head unsteadily back onto Rachel’s shoulder. _Something is wrong._ She wraps her arms firmly around the blonde, digging her fingers into her black shirt, begging to draw some warmth into her cold body. Where she is going should be a very familiar place, yet it still going to feel very odd and foreign. She doesn’t want this Rachel to ever break apart from her, as they’re the only one together on this.

Rachel holds out her left arm outstretched, looking deep into the phone. A red fiery flame explodes out of her body, engulfing a much greater radius than the dome itself. Her skin instantly melts off into a dark brown grime color, as she takes the form of the decaying corpse of Rachel in this timeline.

Max’s eyes drift to the side barely seeing the red fire from her position. With her overwhelming amount of thoughts, she is unaffected with the fact she is right up close to a corpse. In the corner of her eyes, she sees the full bandage that she tied on Rachel’s arm, sailing down through the air, and passing through the grassy floor like it is an ethereal object or as if it never existed. Her eyes open sharply, “Rachel...your bandage…”

The scene erupts into a huge red flame, with a loud whirring noise that sounds like a freight train passing over them. Then everything fades to white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hey everyone. Sorry for the long delay on this one. This chapter was very very difficult to write for me. It took several iterations and how I wanted to pan out. There was a pretty "bold chapter" for me to write, so hopefully you guys are all good with it. :) Let me know what you think.
> 
> I prune the dialogues from Rachel and Max, about Rachel's timeline to keep the flow going and less tedious. Kate scenes were interesting to visualize. She's a person that has been with Max for the entire day, and learning just about everything that she went through in the past week. And to be tossed aside when the opportunity simply come to just get "replaced". Not just that, the world is simply going to end and she's going to lose all the memories. With Kate feeling angry and resentful, I do feel there's a point with the time travel powers, about always trying to shape the future in what you want, but sometimes forgetting what you already have or could have. You will never be pleased with anything in your life, and always stuck in time. Everyone always ask 'where's Chloe?', 'when is Chloe coming back?' or 'Chloe is the only person right for Max', I think it hits really hard with me with this scene. Kate, or anyone could very well been Max's new best friend/love, but she never got the chance. Rachel is somewhat similar, while Max does appreciate what this 'Alt Rachel' is doing, but at the end of the day, what is Max's ultimate wish?
> 
> Anyways there is a lot of thinking I have to do, but I'll try and release the next chapter in a reasonable time. Thanks for keeping up with the story!


	20. Morphogenesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first name listed will be that character's POV. For example "Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber", will be from Max's POV.

#### Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber

#### Seattle : Westlake Center - Happy Tailor Store

#### March 20th, 2013 7:34 PM

A halo-white wave fills her vision from edge-to-edge. All her other senses seem to be severed in her body, as she cannot hear, feel, or smell anything. Like she is fully detached from this reality for this moment.

_Can I hear my thoughts? Oh I can! Did I get stuck in time? Why is it taking so long? Could Rachel be tricking me…?_

A thundering rumble slowly fades in becoming louder, roaring into her ears. Dark shapes slowly coalesce, forming together into her head, as finally a more coherent but faint music tingles in her eardrums. Soft generic elevator music hums over her, as all her senses slowly becomes increasingly sharper. The soft buzzing of the fluorescent bulbs above her, paints the flour-paste textured walls all around her.

She finds herself in a very small room that appears to be a dressing room. There is a full-length mirror off in the corner and a royal blue curtain for the entry way. Her jeans and gray shirt are taken off from her body, crumpling into a mess, on the nook of the bench. _Where the fuck am I?!_ Her legs buckle underneath her weight, causing her feet to shuffle backward about a foot, before colliding her clumsy head into the whitewashed wall behind her.

“Ooof...”, a sharp breath of air escapes her throat from the impact. Max hisses through her clenched teeth to somehow help dampen the pain. She looks down in shock, to find herself in a soft pink dress with two thin straps. Her legs are chilly from the jet cool air from the vents, since it is a short dress, but covering down to her knees. Her cleavage are nothing but two subtle swell on her chest, is also visible. A flush of heat cascades into her face, stiffening her eyes, as she lets out a squeal. _What in the world?! Why am I hanging out?_ She quickly covers her chest with the palm of her hands.

“Honey, I heard a gasp...” Her nosy mother’s head dips through the blue curtains, joining her presence in the small room.

Max’s heart leaps in the air, her upper body recoiling from the result of it. Her eyes widen, with her jaws slowly dropping open at the sight of her no-longer-deceased mother. She blinks slowly in awe, wetting her lips with her tongue, “Mom?”

“Sorry!” Vanessa continues anyway, to invade into the cramped room, despite her apology. She presses her hands together, begging for forgiveness from her daughter. Her face becomes immediately inquisitive, “Oh wow honey…” Her body sways from side to side for a better view, then gently brushing away Max’s shielding hands, for a full look at the dress. “Hey, it looks so much better now...” She winks her eyes, “...a little cleavage showing isn’t that bad. Your father may take a little convincing.” She pouts her lips, in a playful manner.

Another flush of heat seeps into her face, reddening her cheeks this time. Just seeing the lively and cheery face of her mother and the mention of her father is enough to make the young hipster, ecstatic. Her lips tremble with joy, “Mom…” _This is when I got my prom dress altered. We really did go back six months ago! Mom, Dad and Chloe are all alive!_ Her fingers twiddle in excitement, resisting the growing urge to pounce on her own mother. _So we are really going to keep this? Rachel isn’t just going to reset this and go back into the future? This is fucking real, right?!?_

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Her mother looks at her own daughter, who has a wild smile on her face.

Max’s eyes sparkle, with a wide grin, trying her best to contain it all in. “Yeah, I’m…” She brushes down the pink dress, feeling the soft fabric of it. Her eyes gazes coldly, letting out a sigh. The brunette remembers how much pain and humiliation the dress caused in the past, in just a few days. She’s going to wear it, and wait for her date that will never come. And to top it off, to see hopeless and disappointing faces from her parents. But this disaster pales greatly in comparison with everything else. She will just muster through this event, until Rachel contact her. Max forces the lie unsteadily out of her throat, “...I’m just so happy with the dress.”

“Me too.” Vanessa playfully pets her daughter’s head, forcing out an adorable smile from Max. Some of the coldness in her small body, slowly drains out as the result. “You are going to turn some heads at the dance.” Her daughter lets out a forced hearty laugh, shaking her head, side to side. “I’m teasing you, by putting you in the spotlight like that. But give yourself some credit! You’re so beautiful, Maxine! Who wouldn’t want you?”

Max stiffens her posture, pressing her lips in a soft smile. _Oh Mom, you have no idea._

* * *

The night is cool and cloudy, in the approaching spring weather of Seattle. The gust of wind caresses the clear plastic garment bag that shelters the altered dress, draping over Max’s shoulder. The bustling of the evening shoppers, carrying their shopping bags crinkled with their purchases in it, as they stroll by the line of stores, radiating a warm orange hue. Vanessa and Max passes by a back-lit diorama that catches the attention of the young hipster, as her Chuck Taylor screeches into a halt.

Vanessa turns around, sensing the sudden absence of footsteps from her daughter. “Max?” She walks back to join her at the illuminated advertisement. “Oh...The Chase Space.”

Her pupils constrict from her gaze into the bright advertisement. She remembers the time she broke into Victoria’s room, to find the email to clear Dana’s name from Julia. _It is Victoria parents’ famous gallery here in Seattle._

Vanessa glances at her daughter, who is fixated at the sign. “Maybe we can all take a trip here. Before you leave our little humble home of Seattle, and onto big time Blackwell Academy.” She gives a playful nudge with her elbow, “...With your long time idol, Mark Jefferson.”

Max’s nostrils flare at the mention of that psychopath. To become a mere abused subject from one of her hero, that also help drove her interest in photography, as well as her interest in Blackwell Academy. “Let’s go, Mom.” She pulls away bitterly, continuing towards the parking lot.

“Umm… sure, honey.” She follows right behind her daughter, with a puzzled look.

They both walk into the parking lot that is still packed with cars from the busy mall, despite the absence of any significant holidays coming up. The soon-to-be Blackwell student concedes and hang back, letting her mother lead the way, as she does not remember where the car is parked. _So, is Rachel here as well? I saw her bandage come off. Is she going to be okay?_ Her head dips down, grasping at her chin, pondering some more. _Kate… I want to meet her. I miss her and her sweet smile already, and I don’t want to wait months to see her. I love her._ A wave of sorrow from the past, washes over her body, as she is trying to maintain her composure around her mother. _I need to talk to Chloe soon, too. It feels like it has been forever since I’ve seen her._

They approach the sedan, as Vanessa circles around to the driver’s side, as her daughter freezes in place. _The car accident... Mom and Dad died in this car by Cannon Beach._ Max quickly circles around the car, glancing at the condition of the tires, giving a feeble kick to each one of them.

“Honey, what in the world are you doing?” Her mother looks at her preoccupied daughter, with a curious look.

“Just...making sure it isn’t flat.” She kicks the last tire, then moves back to the passenger side. They both get into the car, strapping on their seat belt. Max continues, “Just good to check.” She justifies her sudden OCD. Not like a simple check for flat tires, can predict the countless number of hazards that can occur on the road. But the deaths of her parents from the previous day, has elevated the paranoia in Max, in riding in this sedan of death. “Let’s get going, Mom.” _I need to chill out a little. I can’t wait to see Dad._

Vanessa turns on the engine of the car, crossing her arms, with slightly pursed lips. “Alright, I like you being safe.” She changes her voice to a stern yet lighthearted, “But we’re not buying you a car when you go to Blackwell Academy, okay?”

Max peers over at the dashboard, making sure there isn’t any maintenance or warning lights on the car. “That’s fine, Mom. I will need my allowance for my Polaroid films.”

She groans, rolling her eyes, “Maybe switch to digital?”

Max presses her lips together, forming a soft smile. But it doesn’t last long as some tense thoughts wander into her head. _I still can’t believe this is working. And there’s no tornado. At least no sign of it yet._ She gazes out of the window, into the well illuminated lot. There is a mixture of feelings, churning in her stomach. The feeling of ‘this is home’ but at the same time, it still feels foreign. Some things remain to be resolved, but she is powerless to do it, if she is going to follow Rachel’s order. She presses her cheek against the cold glass, staring up at the two moons up in cloudy sky. _I wonder how Rachel is doing…Is she just hanging out with Audrey? Even though I’m safe, here with my parents, I feel so hopeless not being in Arcadia Bay. I don’t know how long I can take this. I feel so restless._

She centers her bottom, back onto her seat, pulling out her phone from her pocket. Max launches the Facebook app, immediately typing ‘Kate Beverly Marsh’ into the search bar. She easily finds it as the top result in Arcadia Bay. Kate’s profile picture is different this time around, as it is a beautiful picture of her doing a solo violin performance at church. The brunette's heart warms up at the sight of the sweet angel, pressing her lips together. _Hey Kate... I know you, but you don't know me. But you will. I will protect you when I find you. No one will bully you._ Her eyebrows furrow, dipping her head down. _It's because I left you, Kate... I left you behind…_ Her eyes scan to the side, where it says ‘Add Friend’ and ‘Message’. She hovers her shaky finger right above it. For a moment, her eyes gaze on unsteadily, recalling the warning from Rachel. The hipster concedes with her thoughts, letting out a sigh of frustration, and turning off the display of her phone. _No, I won’t message Kate and Chloe, yet. But maybe I should contact Rachel though…_

She tenses her arm, clenching the phone with force, as a roar of thunder echoes in her chaotic mind. Her vision flickers into a pale white for an instant, as the windshield becomes shattered. The scent in the air is moist and metallic, as she gives a few quick , curious sniffs, confirming her suspicion. _My powers...it is activating again..._ Her pupils constrict to the mosaic display in front of her stare. In the very right corner of her eyes, there are long, dangling strands of dark hair. Her cold breaths halt, but her heart continues pounding rapidly, as tension seeps out the pores on her skin. She steadily crane her head, noticing the long wavy hair is flowing right through her shoulder, as if it ghostly.

Her spine straightens like a stalagmite, as a flush of heat escapes her body. _What the hell is going on?_ She leans forward, pulling tightly the snug shoulder belt, and shuffling her weight forward. There is someone right behind her. Just like the hair, it is as if Max’s body is diffusing into this other body. She looks slightly over her shoulder, recognizing a familiar light purple dress, that has a few ink of fresh blood on it.

“Mom!?!?!” Max screams and quickly flinches away, squeezing her eyes shut. _I’m sitting right on Mom’s body. The one that died in the car accident. I’m sitting in her seat._ Her breathing is suddenly rasping, as her body feels the full waves of the tremors within her.

“Jesus! Maxine! Honey, I’m right here.” Vanessa extends out her right hand over, brushing and trying to calm her distressed daughter.

“Mommy?!?!” She whines, tugging the locks of her hair, between her fingers in frustration. _This is fucking real, right? Why the hell am I seeing this?_

“Let me repark the car.” The mother still brushing her fingers, at her daughter’s cheek, while spinning furiously on the steering wheel with her left hand, to pull into an empty spot. Thankfully, they are still in the parking lot and able to stop the car.

“Mom…” The terror is still in her veins, as her skin is feeling more clammy. Blindly, she quickly unbuckles her seat belt, and climbs over the central divider of the car, and into the safety and comfort of her living mother. Vanessa, also quickly unbuckles her own seat belt, granting access for her daughter to sit on her lap. Max wraps her arms, burying her sobbing face onto her mother’s shoulder. “Please don’t ever leave me.” She blurts it out, as her twisted mind needed some consolation.

Vanessa nuzzles her cheek onto her daughter’s hair, sensing how real and terrified, she is. “It’s okay, honey. Mommy is here.” Max’s muffed, heavy breathing gradually subsides. Her tense muscles, slowly relaxes at the warm embrace of her mother. Vanessa, remains perfectly still, despite the awkward position and weight of the teenager, crushing her lap. She didn’t want to disturb her anymore, “It’s okay, we can lay like this for a bit.” She listens closely to the steady but shallow breaths of her daughter, then she kisses her right at the temple.

The warm scent of her mother soothes her, slowly calming her down. _Could the old timeline still be there? Or is my mind playing tricks again?_ Max clamps down the collar of her mother’s shirt with her lips. _I have to resist talking to Chloe. But can I get ahold of Rachel without going through Chloe?_ Max gently gnaws at the soft material between her lips. _Maybe I can find her on Facebook. I’m going to go crazy if I can’t talk to anyone about this._

#### Rachel Amber

#### Unknown

The chugging sound stirs the blonde awake into a veil of darkness. It seems like it is nearly impossible to tell whether your eyes are actually opened or not, if it weren’t for the fact she can see her own body. The entire scene seems like an endless black abyss, without any indication of direction.

 _Am I dead? Or am I…_ She glances over at her left wrist, finding the gash is again exposed and slightly bleeding. Her body is also emitting a steady red flame from the time powers.

Her heartbeats quicken as it still feels, her actual body is still suffering heavily from the blood loss. Her eyes are heavy, where the only sensation she is feeling, is how numb and weak her body is. She lazily pushes up her body, rotating so she can fall onto her side.

She sees a body lying almost in the same position as she is. It is herself, or the Rachel in Max’s timeline. She is wearing a black t-shirt, with denim shorts. Her wrist and ankles are bounded by gray duct tape. There are tears in her eyes, dripping down and diluting some of the black eyeliners on her face. Her eyes are doe-eyed, gazing straight ahead, as her body twitches slowly, within the constraints of her binding. She’s dying.

Rachel pulls herself, dipping her face closer. She whispers softly to her, “Hey… please wake up.”

Her counterpart gives a shudder, before relaxing her neck. Her mouth opens slightly, as a stream of saliva falls out of her mouth. Her body twitches again, sending another gush of saliva, and thin flows of tears, seeping down her cheeks. There is a faint rapid clicking, that sounds like the shutter of a camera right above them.

Rachel looks on in hopelessness, with steady eyes, and without any more words to give. Her eyes glisten at the sight of seeing herself counting down to her final breath. It pains her so much to see it. Rachel thought she should be prepared for death by now. For her to slip away from both of these worlds quietly, without a single care from anyone. But maybe not yet… Soon though.

The rumbling in the scene intensifies, as a lifeless white light brightens the abyss. She turns her attention back to her wound. _Did the bandage fall out because that timeline is gone? When I’m in this Rachel’s body, I should be fine for the time being, right? Or will I slowly be bleeding and weakening somehow out of time?_ Her pupils constrict as bright halos of light slowly engulfs the other Rachel’s body. _Don’t worry, Rachel. I’ll save you._

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Garibardi : Last Round Arcade

#### March 20th, 2013 7:34 PM

Numerous colors begin filling into her vision, forming blurred outlines in her mind. The sound starts to seep into her ears as if she is submerged in underwater. Muffled and hoarse sounds vibrate her eardrums, slowing awakening the blonde to this unfamiliar location.

“Sissy! Are you okay?” A little girl’s voice stirs the blonde awake from her slumber. Her energy is slowly being stuffed back into her body.

“Shit…” Her eyes open up, finding herself lying flat on her back, on the ground. Gradually, her eyes become more clear, as it is the girl in the photo, standing right in front, peering down at her. Audrey.

“Rachel…” The little girl’s eyebrows draw together. “Could you get up?” Her eyes drift to the side, as two shadowy figures eclipse right above her tiny body.

“Hey little girl… could you move to the side?” A smug young man’s voice laughs from one of the figures. The bright ceiling light above them obscures the visibility of them. “I want to see your sister’s thong.”

 _Alright, who are these shitbags?_ Despite her senses being hazy a short moment ago, they are now refreshed, as her upper body springs up to a sitting position. Her body tenses, seeing she is wearing a low-cut black dress, with two spaghetti straps. She realizes Audrey is standing in front of her, to cover between her legs from being shown.

Rachel smiles briefly at the caring girl, then with the returning burst of energy, she propels herself up onto her feet. She glares at the two guys that look like they’re in high school. _These little punk asses. Oh wait, I’m probably in high school, too._ “What the fuck did you say?”

“Hey, don’t be smoking crack and spreading your legs around like a whore.” The guys look at each other, as an obnoxious laugh escapes from their mouth, in unison. One of them continues staring at her chest, “Nice fucking rack.”

Rachel wobbles on her feet, realizing she is wearing heels. _Fuck, heels? Maybe I can work on slamming the tip of my heel, right into their eye socket. But damn, I must have collapsed or something. And why am I dressed like this?!?_ She glances around, gathering her bearing in this area around her. The place is enormous, with lines of arcade machines, pool tables and even a full bowling alley. The electricity bill must be insane to keep all the countless amount of lights running all day. There are series of tables where patrons are munching on their cardboard-tasting pizzas and overpriced frosty tipped draft beers. The place is fairly crowded, but surprisingly, no one else is drawing their attention towards the scene that Rachel made.

 _I don’t even know where the hell I am. I should keep some stuff low-key until I figure this all out. Otherwise, I would smash down these fuckers._ Rachel quickly pulls the little brunette’s hand, dragging her away, “Let’s go…” The two girls storm off in the opposite direction from the guys.

“Those guys are mean… But where are we going?” The young girl asks in a curious voice.

“I don’t know…” Rachel stretches her voice, halting abruptly on her heels, as the little girl almost crash right into her butt. _So much shit is going on, I don’t even have time to collect my own damn thoughts._ She glances around, hoping to see if there are any recognizable faces, but there is none. “Umm...Audrey?” A growing sense of insecurity has her heart pumping hard, blood coursing rapidly through her veins. Looking for a sanctuary, to catch her breath and ease down the panic in her mind, “Where’s the restroom?”

“Oh it’s over here.” She tiptoes, pointing towards the lit sign that says ‘Restrooms’. “Oh, and here’s your phone and jacket. You also dropped it on the floor after you took the picture.” She hands over the two items, then she jams her hands into her own armpits, hugging herself, “Sis, you scared me! You passed out for a moment.”

Despite the frightened look on the little girl, Rachel couldn’t resist squeezing out a smile. “Sis?”

“Ooh...sorry Rachel!” She flails her hands in an adorable way.

“No, it’s fine. You can call me that.” Rachel winks at the little girl. _So, I’m like an older sister to her, huh?_ She presses her lips tightly, tipping her nose towards the restrooms, “Let me go freshen up.”

* * *

Rachel pushes the door to the restroom, entering the cold, unpleasant smelling facility with Audrey right behind her. Another woman that is wearing a similar style dress is on her way out. She gives a quick glare at Rachel, examining her face, then the rest of her body. The woman’s eyes become cold, averting to the side, with an audible scoff, before exiting. _What the hell did I do?_ Rachel shrugs her shoulder, not letting the person, get underneath her skin. She shuffles her heels towards the mirror of the restroom to give herself a gander.

 _Holy shit!_ Rachel’s eyes light up in admiration. Her hair is long and slightly wavy, going past her shoulders. Both her face and body is thin and more in shape. There are eyeshadows and very soft pink lipstick, but still look amazing and not overwhelming in makeup. She rattles on the blue-jay earring on her left ear this time, ringing it. The blonde looks down, doing a double take. There is a blue star tattoo on her left wrist, which is the same exact spot from the gash she made from slitting her wrist. And on her right calf, is the red dragon tattoo. _I remember this awesome dragon tattoo. And that’s a coincidence the star is where I slit my wrist. It is actually going to bother me every time I look at it._ Rachel turns her attention back to the mirror, turning around to the side, giving a profile view of her body. _Shit, I have decent sized boobs and butt._ A fueling amount of confidence erupts into her body, despite still feeling foreign. _I really hate to be cocky, but damn I’m hot._

She throws her purse onto the counter, as Audrey stares on with steady eyes in the background, hugging tightly her red stuffed dragon. Rachel fumbles through the purse, as there aren’t too many items in it. There are some folded cash, a few credit cards, make-ups, and some condoms.

Rachel lifts her head, looking back at her reflection with a nonchalant expression. _Wait a minute... am I getting some tonight?_ Her eyebrows arch, pursing her lips at the thought of it.

“Sissy…” Audrey glances at her phone with slight disbelief, realizing the time. “I think Dad is finished with his meeting and should be here soon to pick us up. We have to get going to the spot he wants us to wait at.”

“Your Dad?” Rachel turns back to the little girl, her neck tilting back slightly. _Her father is the… teacher._

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Garibardi : Dark Path

#### March 20th, 2013 7:48 PM

Last Round Arcade is situated in a rather remote part of this coastal city along the bay, despite being a popular hangout place. The parking lot is filled with parked cars, with more incoming patrons, preparing to throw their money away. The two girls take a sharp turn, moving along the darker perimeter of the lot, towards a more concealed path that stretches out alongside a dark grassy field.

The dark field is smothered with a thin fog of the night. The path is illuminated very poorly with spaced out lampposts, combined with the partly cloudy night. The false ghost-silver second moon hanging in the sky doesn’t brighten much, with the blanket of mist and shadows beneath it. The rhythmic pattering sound of heels and tennis shoes along with the gentle breeze are only disturbance to the cold silence.

Rachel examines her surrounding in this dark pathway. Tall shadowy trees with its swaying branches, with only small ribbons of moonlight piercing through its leaves. A chill sweeps across her exposed skin, as her eyes dart around in slight paranoia. “You know where to go? You may have to lead the way.” Rachel asks the rather fearless little girl, that doesn’t seem to be a stranger to the dark or the mist.

“Sure!” She skips around, making wide circles in front of the blonde girl. “Oh wait, I shouldn’t be making too much sound. Dad told me not to draw attention.”

“It’s okay. That might be best, though.” Rachel stares on with an unfocused gaze. _So this is the life of the other Rachel? The one that reset everything to save Dad and ditch Maxine? The one that’s basically a better future version of me?_ She looks down at herself, sensing the empowerment that seems to radiate from this body. _I can feel some remaining residual effect from this Rachel. I can feel how bold and outgoing she is. How she doesn't simply give much shit about anything and took chances at life._

She wraps the light jacket over her exposed shoulders, shivering slightly. _But what am I doing here? I’m just living a lie here._ She blows off a warm puff of air, squeezing her body closer for warmth. _I was given a gift to save Max and Chloe. I just… wanted to feel useful. I want to be someone that I could never be. I just wanted to be cared and loved…_ She dips her head down, with her bangs draping forward. _I don’t even recognize anyone here. I know Max doesn’t really love me. Once she gets her Chloe back…_ She squeezes her eyes close for a moment, taking a deep breath to energize her lungs. _Well… Dorky Maximus, Chloe is alive and so are your parents. You already got what you wanted the most._

Rachel taps on her phone, as the screen illuminates her face and teary eyes with a blue hue. She holds her thumb onto the power button, unlocking the phone. _Good, thank god I use fingerprint security instead of a PIN number. Otherwise, I would never guess it._ “Sorry Audrey, I have to look at my phone for a second.” She asks to be pardoned for her rudeness.

“Sure, it’s fine.” Audrey hums quietly, continuing to lead the way, being distracted in her own tiny world.

Rachel swipes around the phone seeing various text messages in the recent contact list, including some unknown private numbers, Chloe, Frank, Nathan, Evan, Justin, Victoria just to name a few. There are so many things going on that she needs to get herself situated. More and more, she is realizing that all the briefing that Max gave earlier is far from enough, just because she didn’t really know Rachel, either.

She looks at some of the recent messages of the more familiar names.

> **Chloe:** rach lets get food (3:14 PM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Two Whales? (3:16 PM)
> 
> **Chloe:** damn ur a psychic like always. how you know? mom can hook us up. (3:17 PM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Free brinner! Nah, I have to pass today. I have some plans tonight. :) (3:21 PM)
> 
> **Chloe:** who? the stuck up crowd at school? (3:21 PM)
> 
> **Chloe:** rach? (3:47 PM)
> 
> **Chloe:** come on answer me. im bored out of my mind. (4:03 PM)
> 
> **Chloe:** you been some distant with everything. r we cool? i dont trust ur damn emoji of actually smiling unless u love to ignore me. (4:55 PM)

Rachel squeezes the phone to her chest, looking in the misty dark abyss above her. _That’s right, Chloe loves me in this timeline. And I see I am already neglecting her already. Could it be because of this secret relationship I’m having with the teacher? What can I text her?_ She presses the phone against her chin, pondering it for a little bit, then she types in it. _I don’t want to break apart from Chloe. Even if Max is waiting by, a couple of months later._

> **Rachel:** Hey Chloe! Sorry it’s been a hectic day. Don’t worry about it, I’ll talk to you later. Love you! :) (7:51 PM)

She lets outs a soft, but joyful chuckle, letting her message sinks into her mind for a little bit. A jaunty smile forms on her face. _She’s finally alive! Max went through so much to try and save her. I can’t wait to finally meet her. I wonder what she’s like._

She moves on to the next chat message thread.

> **Victoria:** HOW MANY DIFFERENT DICKS ARE YOU SUCKING THESE DAYS? (2:31 PM)
> 
> **Victoria:** STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM NATHAN (2:32 PM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Relax, don’t get all jealous. ;) (2:34 PM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Don’t get upset when someone takes the glory from you. (2:35 PM)
> 
> **Victoria:** I HOPE YOU DIE UGLY BITCH (2:45 PM)

Her eyebrows furrow at this much angrier text conversation. _Well… I guess her hopes did come true._ She recalls back about what Max said, how Victoria can be very jealous but also a good person deep down inside. Rachel sniffs her nose, punching in the text. _It seems like this Rachel was ready to burn the bridge down with Victoria. Maybe I can change that... at least a little bit._

> **Rachel:** Hey Victoria, I’m sorry about what I said. I take it all back. I know you’re a great person and you are under a lot of pressures from everyone. I totally get it. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay? (7:53 PM)

_I feel Victoria should be the one apologizing since her texts are full of hate. But I’ll start the apology on my side. If she scoffs and laughs at me later, then well… I tried._

Rachel moves next down to Nathan, groaning at the sight of his name. But, then realizing he has a big part to play with her in this timeline.

> **Nathan:** Hey Rach, can we hang out tonight? (11:34 AM)
> 
> **Rachel:** Sorry Nathan, I have plans tonight. (11:58 AM)
> 
> **Nathan:** Oh, I see. (12:01 PM)
> 
> **Rachel:** What’s up? (12:32 PM)
> 
> **Nathan:** Was wondering if I could take some pictures of you. Maybe tomorrow morning, before class? (12:34 PM)

She closes her eyes, letting out a soft sigh. _He is unstable in this timeline. Well, probably in both. He is an accomplice, and responsible for my death. So what do I do?_ She looks up to the two moons in the sky, as streaks of the moonlight seem to create an illusion of the two moons diverging slightly. _I know I have my thoughts about him in my timeline. But maybe I can finally have a talk with him, and perhaps understand him. I’m not sure what Rachel did with Nathan in this timeline…_

> **Rachel:** I’ll try and make it home early tonight. I’ll text you later tonight. If not, tomorrow morning. Then, we can see from there? (7:54 PM)

She takes a deep breath, after sending the text. _I have no idea what I’m doing tonight. And I have never been in a photo shoot before. This is going to be weird as hell._

They approach a dark tunnel with a rustic-looking stone walkway above it, with some overgrown vines dangling down to the pathway like thin ropes. _We are going pretty off the beaten path._ The pathway is getting darker and less maintained, along with the light cool fog in the air. Many thoughts continue to race through her mind. _Kate…_ She mutters her name without any audible sounds, pressing her fist above her heart. _Just seeing how you were with Max…_

Her phone vibrates in her hand, breaking the soft silence of the night and interrupting her thoughts. Her lungs freeze with hesitation, as everything still feels extremely foreign to her.

 _Chloe Price._ Her eyes sparkle, seeing the familiar name of the incoming call. She looks ahead at the back of the playful girl, prancing around. “Audrey, I have to pick this call up.”

“Uh huh!” She doesn’t even give eye contact, continuing to hum to herself.

She swipes the phone to answers the call. _Here it is…_ The blonde flutters her eyes close, taking a deep breath to calm herself and loosening up her tense muscles. Past memories of Chloe, and how warm and caring person she was, in her timeline. Or at least the timelines that Rachel has destroyed. The blonde pushes it out of her throat, “Hey…”

“Rach… I’m sorry. I finally decided to give you a call. So fuck texting.” Chloe’s voice is full of distress. But still, just the sound of her voice warms Rachel’s face, affirming her thoughts. “I’ve been pretty fucking upset about how I blew up on you. I have just been having some really shit thoughts, again. I can’t even use the excuse it is that time of the month.”

Rachel snickers softly. With zero context, the best she can do is just be forgiving to whatever it was. She wants to bond with her as much as possible. “It’s okay, Chloe. Please don’t sweat it.”

“I just feel stupid sometimes. I get uneasy when I’m alone. I don’t want to sound stupid dramatic and clingy-as-fuck. I know you got your crew and buddies to hang out with, too.”

“No, I totally get you.” Rachel nods softly. She shortens her pace for a moment, letting the little girl pull a little ahead, for some privacy. Her head dips down, pressing her lips together. _I don’t belong anywhere. I have no place to go anymore._ She blinks rapidly, “To be honest, Chloe… I feel very lost, too. I don’t really know what I’m doing anymore.”

“What? Rachel, you’re so fucking popular and beautiful as hell. You’re the most awesome person, and pretty much everyone loves you.”

_Not me… Maybe the other Rachel… the one that is everything I’m not…_

“Chloe…” Her throat is thick, “...please. Don’t...” Her tone is stern, not wanting any pity.

“Oh… I’m sorry.” Chloe’s voice softens as well, quickly catching on. “You want to talk about it? You can come over. Now-or-later tonight? I have a few joints left, maybe we can blaze for a bit and bitch about shit.”

Even though smoking out isn’t high on her to-do list, she still welcomes _anytime_ with her. “Tomorrow, sure.”

“Alright. I’m always here for you.” You can hear a soft sniffing from the other line of the call. “I love you, Rachel.”

Her warm touching words freeze Rachel’s body, stiffening it. _For someone to actually say that to me… I know it isn’t really true, but…_ She blinks rapidly to moisten her eyes. There aren't quite enough tears to overflow down to her face. Her chest feels very heavy now, “Chloe…” She sniffs her nose, “...I love you, too.”

There is a pause on the other line. It isn’t too awkward as Rachel could use the silence to collect her loose emotions. Chloe, finally breaks the hush, “You sure you don’t want me to swing by later? Even if it is late...”

Rachel lets out a sharp laugh, enjoying the sweetness and care from her friend. She whines in a joking way, “Chloe…”

“I know, I know. But I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Text me when you get home. Even if it’s hella late, I would like to know you got home safe… I mean it… ” Her voice is sweet, showing signs of warm life.

A flush of warmth floods Rachel’s face, as the redness blooms. _She does like me a lot._ “I promise I will, Chloe. I’ll talk to you later.”

“See-ya...”

Rachel nods her head softly, then she ends the call, putting the phone into her purse.

They arrive at a small opening in the area, and there’s a gray Bentley parked, shrouded in the shadows.

“Daddy…” Audrey’s voice shifts from her usual cheery to a more calm tone at the sight of her father, who is leaning against the passenger side of the car with his hands tucked in his pockets.

The man has choppy and messy brown hair. He has a light beard and goatee with black and white glasses. He has on a white buttoned shirt, with a black blazer over it, and jeans. The man has a rather serious face, but with a soft inviting smile. _Shit… What a fucking handsome guy..._

Audrey walks past him, entering the back door, not even demanding a hug from her father. Probably with his power pose, it didn’t welcome one anyways, as his attention is focused completely on Rachel.

He opens the passenger door, welcoming her in it. Rachel approaches him, as she conjures some confidence in her belly and into her stride in heels. “You look stunning,” his voice is low and husky. He gives a quick peck on her lips, smoothly wrapping his arm around her. He traces a finger along the silky soft material of Rachel’s dress, then right along the top elastic waistband of her thong through the dress, then finally resting on her hips.

Rachel’s heart jolts up in the air at the abrupt but smooth touch from this man. She remains calm, being guided into the passenger seat of the car. She sits down in the spacious interior of the car, as the man closes the passenger door.

She adjusts herself in the seat, trying to remain cool. _Normally, I would get extremely anxious if I was in this type of situation, but somehow I’m holding alright. Maybe it is this body…_ She looks over her shoulder, seeing Audrey squeezing and snuggling with her red stuffed dragon, and peering quietly out the window. _So in the previous timeline, a perverted shithead like Ted would be in custody of this sweet girl if her father got arrested?_

The driver door opens, as the man gets into the car, fastening on his seat belt. Rachel looks at him with curious eyes, realizing she doesn’t even know his name. _So… this is the guy…_

He looks back with a curious gaze. “Is there’s something wrong?”

“No… how was your meeting?” Rachel immediately changes the subject, smoothly recalling what Audrey mentioned earlier.

He shakes his head, letting out a puff of breath through his fake smile. “Ah… just the same…” He gazes straight ahead for a moment, and then back into the blonde's hazel eyes. “Boring stuff…” The man reaches his hand over, gently stroking Rachel's inner thigh, sending a shocking tingle up her legs, and causing her body to quiver from his simple touch. Rachel wets her lips, quickly glancing to confirm Audrey isn’t watching this public display of affection.

He continues with his low voice, “The rest of the night is going to be better, now that you’re here…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Okay, so this is a tough chapter to start out in this 'new timeline'. There is a big drastic change from the last chapter, in just about everything. With Max being in Seattle, and Rachel is back alive in Arcadia Bay. But it is "Alt Rachel" in her body this time around.
> 
> Rachel is very confused with everything that is going on. Slowly, she is collecting her thoughts and trying to piece together everything. Nothing is ever certain, especially if you change the past. :) Well... Chloe is back! And she is not liking when Rachel uses emojis. :P This chapter is shorter length. I know it is rough to have a short previews from both Max and Rachel's perspective. I really needed the extra time to think about this new settings. Hopefully starting next chapter, I will return to being more comfortable.
> 
> Let me know if you have any comments or questions. I'm too tired to write a proper A/N. :P


	21. Through the Predator's Portrait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy theme, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber

#### Seattle : Caulfield Residence

#### March 20th, 2013 10:24 PM

The soft pale light from the desk lamp is the only source that illuminates the teenage girl’s bedroom. On the desk is an astronomy textbook flipped to a diagram of a comet and several sheets of the homework assignment, that Max is working on. She leans back into her chair, rolling her fingers for a stretch, relieving the hand cramps and detaching her mind from her studies, to gaze dreamily at the pale ceiling.

Earlier at the mall parking lot, Max slowly regained her wits, after that frightening experience of seeing her mother’s corpse right inside her. Instead of returning back to the dreaded passenger seat, she decided to move to the backseat, staying there for the rest of the ride. Her mother didn’t question too much about the anxiety attack, trying not to aggravate back her fear again. For the rest of the car ride, she was content that her daughter was feeling better.

Max snaps back from her daydream, staring absent-mindedly at the almost empty glass cup with ice cubes and a small sliver of red liquid that is mixed with the melted ice. The refreshing sweet-and-tart taste still lingers in her mouth. _It’s sweet. Daddy made me a cherry limeade to cheer me up._ She puts the pen on top of her puckered lips, balancing on it. _Hate to come home and realizing you have homework due tomorrow after time traveling back. It is tedious to do this homework about comets, asteroids, and meteors. Thank dog, I kind of remembered all the answers._ She twists around in her seat, staring at the door to her bedroom, as her face warms up with joy. _But... My family is back…_

She leans over, opening a desk drawer, and taking out a picture frame of her and Chloe. When she moved to Seattle, it was on her desk in plain sight. Trying to remind herself of the better moments together with Chloe. But more and more, it became a constant reminder of how horrible she was as a best friend, unable to keep in touch with her. So she had to tuck it away, as it became unbearable to look at every day. _Don’t worry Chloe, I’ll be with you real soon. Together and forever._

She focuses on it for a moment, as the picture of them hanging out at Max’s old house back in Arcadia Bay resonates with her time powers. She can hear the unclear ghostly sounds of giggling coming from the picture before she deters her eyes away.

All of the sudden, her vision becomes a vortex of blurred color. When everything resides, she is no longer holding the picture. Her right arm twitches, accidentally scribbles a long dark mark across her worksheet with the pen in her hand. _What the hell?_ She looks at her phone, swiping it off idle to see the clock reads “10:21 PM”. The cup of cherry limeade is missing, and her worksheet is missing half of the writing.

_Rachel… she just used her rewind powers. Something is wrong..._

Her breaths quicken against the churning of her stomach. She grabs her phone, scrolling to ‘Chloe Price.’ _Shit, should I text Chloe? No… I can’t!_ She squeezes her eyes shut, trying her best to curb her tension down. _Maybe it is nothing..._

She quickly switches to her Facebook web browser tab on her laptop, searching for ‘Rachel Dawn Amber’ of Long Beach and Arcadia Bay, and hitting the ‘Message’ button. All the worst-case scenarios begin bubbling into her mind. _Okay?! Maybe it is everything! I have to say something to her at least!_

> **Max Caulfield:** Hey Rach! It’s Max. I figured we can talk to each other and keep in touch! :)

She clicks the button, sending the message. She then stares in awe at the beautiful profile picture of her. Rachel is wearing a purple cropped top and jeans, posing with the sunset behind her. She isn’t smiling exactly, but her face looks majestic. The picture is probably taken by one of the many photography students at Blackwell Academy, that are dying to have a chance of a photo shoot with her. _This is crazy… I reliving history, but now I know who Rachel is..._

The silence breaks with a short series of knocking. “Come in,” Max quickly tabs out of Rachel’s profile.

“Here you go, honey… a cherry limeade! Hopefully, it makes you feel better.” Ryan gently settles the cup down onto the coaster, then gives her daughter a quick peck at the temple.

“Thanks, Dad.” She grins, gazing at the now full cherry limeade drink.

“If you need anything else, let me know!” He walks out the room, gently shutting the door behind him.

The sounds of her father’s footsteps trail away, back to the chilling silence. Max is still preoccupied with the rewind of Rachel’s. _Fuck… If she’s with Audrey, then she could be with Jefferson. But I think it is too early for when Rachel actually died… Fuck! Jefferson and Rachel are in love..._

 _“Rachel not only gave great head shots… She gave... great heads.”_ Jefferson’s words from that awful nightmare sequence where Max had to evade her worst insecurities, tings into her mind, cascading into a shudder in her shoulders. She gulps into a grimace, letting out a soft whimper. _Am I putting her through all of that?_

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Bay City : Jefferson Residence

#### March 20th, 2013 8:42 PM

The two-story house is located in the nearby neighboring coastal town of Bay City, along the 101 highway. The neighborhood has moderate-sized but extravagant looking houses that shine a bright nectarine-orange shade out of their windows. Each of them is very spaced out, providing ample amount of privacy among the residents.

The interior of the house has a slick modern look, contrasting with dark-colored cabinets with white textured walls. Ample amount of recessed lighting illuminates the kitchen area, while the man prepares the pasta and meat sauce on the stove top, for the simple but intimate dinner for two, while Audrey hiding upstairs by herself.

The man has removed his blazer, wearing the white-buttoned shirt for the warmer indoor temperature. He dries his hands on the gray towel hanging on the oven handle, moving over to the stereo system by the dining room to put on calm jazz songs from Jacqui Dankworth. He heads back to the stove, “I knew the meeting was going to run late, but I didn’t know how late.” He takes the cap off the saucepan, stirring the tomato sauce filled with generous chunks of meats, with a large wooden spoon. “And, I can hear your stomach growling from here. I’m sorry.”

Rachel spaces out at the large wooden salad bowl that has chopped romaine lettuces, sliced red cherry tomatoes, black olives that she just tossed in. “It’s fine…” She reaches over the bag of crumbled feta cheese and sprinkles it all over the salad bowl as one of the last ingredients for the Italian salad, that she is offering to assist with. _So I’m going to make dinner with this smokin’ hot teacher?_ She peers over the two warm, grilled chicken fillets, on the cutting board. “I’ll cut the chickens. Where do you keep your knives?”

The man points to the direction of a kitchen drawer, off to the side of him. “Over there.” He, then moves to the other side of the kitchen, digging in the cupboards.

Rachel walks over, pulling the kitchen drawer, and seeing a selection of knives. Looking at all of them, she picks the one that is most appropriate sized, gripping it in the air. She gazes at the knife, examining the sharpness of it. _This guy is the dangerous psychopath that is a mentor to Nathan and responsible for my death in this timeline?_

“Boo...,” the man whispers heavily and deeply into her ears, grabbing from behind. All of Rachel’s breaths get trapped in her lungs, recoiling from his sudden touch. Realizing it is him, she lets out a forced chuckle through her tense throat. He studies the sharp blade in her hand, “Be very… very careful... with that knife.” His fingers caress her waist.

Rachel’s body slowly shakes off the fright, but her chest still heaving hard from it. “Don’t…” She inhales sharply, realizing she still doesn’t know his name. “...do that.” She puffs out some of the residual terrors from her lungs.

“Please forgive me…” He squeezes his hands tightly against her waist, pinching the elastic band of her underwear through her dress. He, then moves in closer, kissing repeatedly at her earlobe, working down to her jawbone, then to the side of the neck. Rachel’s eyes become half-lidded, as her body lolls slightly from the tingling sensation of the moist lips of the man, falling into his warm embrace. A warm groan slips out of her throat, her mind is completely charmed by this man. He slides his left index finger, running it along the back of her strapless bra through her dress, and around, stopping just short of her left breast. The man sticks out the tongue, running it down her neck with ample amount of pressure. Her eyes squeeze closed, jaws dropping slightly opened, her face blossoming with redness. The man finally reaches over squeezing her left breast through the padding. The blonde’s body does nothing to reject his action, as she gazes blankly ahead with her dull eyes, lips slightly parted with a drop of saliva on the verge of dribbling out due to her rising anticipation. As the throbbing between her legs demand for more, the man suddenly pulls away from Rachel coldly with a soft chuckle, returning back to his duty at the stove top.

Rachel feels the heat dissipating quickly from her, letting out a soft shudder of disappointment. She pinches her thighs together tightly, relieving some of the loss of heat. The trail of wetness along the side of her head is a lingering sensation of his touch. _This body must be very captivated by this man. A part of me is deeply infatuated with him._ She cranes her neck, looking at the man resuming to tend the pasta and the sauce. _But he’s a total creep...right?_ Her eyes scan down the man, seeing a facility identification card still clipped onto his jeans, but it is facing away, hiding his name. _Maybe I can find out his name with that…_

She presses her lips together, dropping the knife onto the kitchen counter, then making her way to behind the man. He senses her approaching empowering presence but remains in his bold posture. Rachel positions herself directly behind him, wetting her lips. _Here goes nothing…_ She slowly wraps her arms around the man and squeezing him tight. Arching her back, and the help of her padded bra, she wiggles her breasts, pressing it firmly against the contours of his firm build body. Not needing to see his face, just the way his body squirm slightly against her tease, ignites the confidence in her. She glides the tip of her nose across his back, lifting it up to face the back of his head. There is a height difference between her and the man, but still whispering in a low, sultry voice up to his ear. “You’re not the only one that can do the teasing…”

The man didn’t verbally respond back, but his body is more and more tempted by the young woman’s advances. Rachel swings her head around his body, with the facility card in her view. She grinds her breasts into his side, her left fingers, slowly crawls along his belt, also smoothly flicking the facility card over along the way. With patience, her fingers work towards making contact with the slight bulge in his jeans. She squeezes it repeatedly, feeling the forming shape of it underneath the rough jean material. The man lets out a content sigh from her massaging. “Mmm…” Rachel moans softly with each grab as she feels him slowly grow into her soft hand. “There you go…” she hums softly.

She dips her head closer, getting a good read on the facility card, while her left hand continues stroking. _Mark Jefferson. Photography Teacher._ _Blackwell Academy._

The sizzling bubbles from both the pasta and the sauce grow in her peripheral vision, becoming more of an opportunity to halt her current action. She gazes into his eyes, whispering to him. “Don’t you blow it into our food, Mark.” She feels him give one last twitch underneath her hand, before she takes her hand off his pants, seeing the frustration quickly seeping into his normally suave face. The blonde struts with confidence with her hips, making her way back to cut the chicken. The man follows her beautiful curves that hug perfectly against the tight black dress. Rachel glances back at Mark, up and down his body, knowing exactly what he wants. She licks her lips, blowing him a kiss because she knows she can.

He pushes out a chuckle through his shuddering throat, resisting the urge to relieve his frustration.

* * *

Rachel waits patiently at her seat with her legs crossed. The dark brown, rustic yet trendy-looking dining table has two candles in the middle of the table, with a plate of pasta and another plate of salad on opposite end of the table. Almost all the lights are turned off now, with a set of candles in the dining table replacing for a more moody and intimate lighting. Looking at her body, Rachel again becomes energized with a blazing amount of confidence. _I have never done that before… teasing a man like that. I watched porn and read smut all the damn time, but somehow I did that pretty smoothly… and I didn’t feel at all embarrassed._ Mark turns down the volume of the stereo system a smidge, to a nice relaxing ambient level. The playlist is still the smooth jazz from before. He looks back to the student, “What wine would you like? Red wines are safe bets with this pasta.”

She presses her lips together, pondering with the choices. Rachel didn’t drink much alcohol, but she replies back, “Yeah, that sounds great. Maybe a cab?”

Mark ducks down to the mini wine cooler, pulling out a bottle of cabernet, and picking up two wine glasses and a corkscrew. He brings them all back to the dining table. He uncorks the bottle, “I was looking forward to whiskey after the meeting. Like a bourbon. But this wine does sound pleasant.” His eyes meet with Rachel’s, “And a night to spend with your beautiful eyes.”

Rachel rests her face delicately on her opened hands, forming a smile. She dodges his compliment, “You really didn’t have a good time with the meeting? Can you tell me more about it?”

He pulls the cork out, creating a sharp pop. “Just a parent-son meeting.” He pours out a generous amount of the dark crimson liquid into both glasses. “You can imagine how obnoxious people can be.” He settles the bottle back to the table, taking one of the glass and handing it politely to the blonde.

Rachel takes the cup, giving a quick swirl to it, before taking a sip of it and licking her lips. She comments on the bitter, but flavorful taste. “It’s good.” She sets down the glass right by her plate of pasta. “So, do I know this student?”

Mark sits back in his chair, placing the napkin on his lap. “Standard confidentiality protocol. I can’t give out names, Rach.” He lifts his fork, finally digging into his pasta.

Rachel scoffs under her breath, giving a soft shake to her head, to whirl her blue-jay earring. She, also begins digging into her pasta, “You don’t trust me?”

The teacher replies back quickly, without lifting his head, “Do you trust me?”

She twirls her fork, getting some spaghetti drenched in the meat sauce. “If you want this relationship to work out, we will have to trust each other.” She sticks her fork into her mouth, munching on the food, with content.

He sets his fork down on the table mat, chewing on the last bits of food in his mouth. “What…” He swallows, then wiping his mouth with the napkin. “...do you exactly expect from our relationship?” Mark picks up his wine glass, giving it a swirl in his hand. “It was you that called me out after our photo shoot. It was you that approached me with the first kiss.” He takes a moderate sip of his wine, letting out a soft satisfying sigh. “Granted, I accepted because you are a beautiful, stunning and smart girl. But I can sense something troubling in you.”

She stares on with an unfocused gaze, “Really? Are you some sort of doctor?”

The teacher leans back, relaxing into his chair. He smiles, “I’ve always been interested in the psychological development of people. I may not have an official backing to it, but I like to analyze people like a doctor would. This camera... “ His eyes drifts to his large camera bag, resting on top of the table by the front door. “...is how I capture my subjects. I always want to see how people truly are with it.” His eyes give a distant stare, “I’ve been a photographer for too long to just see a person on a purely superficial level. I like to see more into my subject.” His eyes blink, centering back into them. “...I want to see the inside of them.”

She sneers at him, “Okay… you’re a creep.”

He nods his head slightly, “Yes, well... it does sound very weird. But seriously, something has been holding you up. I can see it in your eyes. Something that frightens you. Or perhaps, something is inciting the fury in your beautiful hazel eyes.”

“What is there to say?” Rachel leans back, crossing her arms, firmly. She glances at the teacher through the small flame of the candle in front of her. He is still waiting patiently for her answer. She holds out her right hand, emitting soft red flames, as she focuses on it. Deterring from the conversation for the moment, becoming preoccupied with herself. _I have my powers, but I can feel that I’ve drained most of my powers with that six months trip… Was it worth it?_ She clenches it, forming into a hemisphere of sparkling fire. _My powers are strong, but yet I’m so weak and pathetic. What holds me back?_ Rachel returns her stony gaze back at the teacher, “Maybe I’m just very disappointed in myself. Or just disappointed in others.”

He gives another swirl to his cup, “Someone as popular and gorgeous as you are, one would think there’s no reason for you to be. Or perhaps…” He takes a large sip from his glass, almost emptying it. “...something that holds you from your dreams. Perhaps, of hitting it big and becoming a model in Los Angeles.”

She looks back to his inquiring eyes but then shies away, unable to keep eye contact. _I had a vague idea with our earlier talks that this Rachel wanted to be a model in this timeline. I don’t know what I wanted to do with my life but definitely not modeling. Never had the confidence or wanted to be on display for others._ She looks down at her body, seeing how beautiful and presentable she can be. _But then again, I’m much different here._ “Maybe… I’m just too nice or losing sight of myself. People just let me down, or turn their backs to me when I needed them the most.”

He stands up from his chair, reaching for the bottle to pour himself another glass of wine. Mark offers some more wine, signaling Rachel to chug down more than half of her glass. She swallows the last gulp, then handing him the empty glass. “I don’t like to bring this up again. But your father who you caught red-handed with a girl that is almost your age…”

Her spine stiffens. _Dad…did that?_ A part of her hopes to disassociate herself from _this Rachel_ , but this is one person that they both shared and looked up to dearly. And to find out for him to be a total sleaze in this timeline when he is alive is crushing for her. Her eyes shuffle back and forth, as she clenches tightly the fork in her hand. She didn’t know exactly what her father did, but she has a good idea now. “Y-yeah…” She forces it out her thick throat. _What the fuck?_

A sly smile emerges on his face, “I won’t talk anymore about that. Obviously, that is a big one.” He observes in delight, at the sight of the beautiful girl getting torn apart by his provoking words. “How you put on your A-game to become friends with everyone. But still… people are absolutely jealous with all of your… gifts. Or just use you for their own amusement. And you having to escape the school to get high with that obnoxious drama aching friend of yours… You never told me her name.”

Rachel blinks slowly, steadying her breaths from the fuming fire inside her. She isn’t quite sure who he is referring to, thinking it could be Chloe. So she makes up a name. “Joy…”

“Joy, huh?” He nods softly, then he resumes eating his pasta.

Rachel feigns away, casually picking up her wine glass, sensing the dissatisfaction in the air between them. Her eyes become lost in the dark crimson pool of liquid in her cup. _People like Victoria are just total bitches, huh?_ She takes a nervous sip from the pool. _People are just using me, getting what they want before they’re done with me? Like Max?_ She wets her lips, “Do you ever feel unsatisfied with your life? That there’s much more of a purpose to it?”

He finishes chewing the food in his mouth, “All the time.”

“All the time? Really?…”

“Yes…” He rests his fork onto the table. “For all my life I’ve always done photography. It was my passion and dream. People always sees me as a hero or a master of my craft. But deep down inside, I was never content.”

“Do you feel like you hit a wall?”

He chuckles, “More like running into a brick wall. I have realized it isn’t always how I frame the shot or how well I utilize the lighting. There’s always a huge limiting factor…”

She stirs around her pasta with her fork, “What’s that?”

“My shots are only as good as the model.”

Rachel nods her head slowly, “That makes sense. Model selection is a big part of photography. Like how attractive and photogenic they are?” She didn’t study photography but there are experiences and thoughts she can give out.

He lets out a deep sigh. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sorry, to use such a huge cliche phrase. But the metric that the general public measure by is how much confidence, the models can exhibit. Or rather how cynical they can be, if you ask me.” He swallows his throat, “You remember my lecture about Diane Arbus?”

Rachel raises her eyebrows in a comedic fashion. _No idea who that person is._ She snorts sarcastically, “Sure, I do.”

He lets out a hearty laugh, “I won’t drill you on the details during our time together. But how she saw beauty in models that are normally rejected like marginalized people?”

“So you like to explore beauty in those people?” She curls her index and middle fingers into a quote mark gesture. “Weird or out of ordinary people?”

“Not exactly… I just think there is a beauty that can be seen beyond the mainstream media.”

“Well, there is an audience for everything. So you are correct.” Rachel ponders a little bit, recalling her knowledge of online photos and articles. “For example, when there’s a huge disaster that strikes a town, like a tornado. Photographers scramble to take pictures of the damage. The most heartbreaking and emotional ones are the ones that suffered devastating losses. Ironically, those can be the most beautiful pictures.”

“Precisely. When a person who normally doesn’t think anything bad could possibly happen to them… Then when it does. That moment... “ His voice is very engaging. “...is what I would like to capture. As dark as it sounds.”

“So you like them to be more naive, or perhaps innocent?” She takes a swig of her wine, relaxing her mind more, as she recalls the story from Max. “Are you saying there’s beauty in vulnerability?”

“Yes.” He gets up from his seat with his glass and walks right up behind the blonde. Her heart rate races at the lack of immediate visibility of him. Mark kneels down, joining Rachel and whispering into her ear, “Our emotions and expressions are generally normalized to a certain standard by society. When a camera is pointing at us, we’re generally forced to recycled and familiar expressions. Nothing that comes deep from our soul. Only when an event that doesn’t occur in a typical day, can trigger some of those almost unfathomable emotions. Like losing someone...”

Rachel’s eyes drift to the side, letting out a soft giggle, “Is this why voyeurism is a popular fetish?”

Mark snickers, “Yes, some people relate this with a prurient curiosity. Because in anything erotic, there is an overwhelming amount of impulses and emotions that leave the body in a vulnerable state… Like this.” He gently turns Rachel’s head over, kissing her with passion. He sticks his tongue, twirling all around inside her mouth, and drawing her breaths. His firm hands, rubs up and down her inner thigh, sending a tingling quiver to her feet and her eyes. He stops, taking immediate note, “Your eyes… how I just see only the whiteness of it, when you were shivering in lust. Your feet… how it quiver despite your will of remaining stationary. Sorry…” Mark gives a quick peck on Rachel’s cheek. “But _that_ is what I’m talking about.” He gets back up, and move back to the wine bottle, filling up another glass. “Or at least somewhat…”

Rachel shudders out the warmth on her body, “Maybe you should try erotic photography.”

He scoffs with distaste, “You know that’s totally bullshit and fake. They’re just actors and actresses that are forcing out some certain cookie-cutter expressions. As long as someone is willing to masturbate to it, they can collect their paycheck.”

Rachel snorts a half-assed laugh, nodding her head. She takes a big gulp from her wine glass, starting to feel the effect of the buzz. “Maybe it is the empowerment to be behind that camera while capturing that moment.”

“Power… is a very interesting thought. Sometimes power is how well you exploit the weaknesses of others. Others, people have an innate talent for it.” He takes a sip from his glass, and head back to Rachel with the wine bottle, filling her empty glass. “And with those eyes, I can see you have power and determination, Rachel.”

She looks at the red liquid being poured into her glass, “Power is useless if you’re too weak or too kind to utilize it.”

“It’s true… people can take away your powers. But in general, never hesitate. Always take the shot.” He finishes emptying the bottle, handing the glass back to Rachel for her to take a quick sip from it. “I know society these days will just banish people for saying this… but I didn’t want Audrey. Especially not with Audrey’s mother.”

Rachel gives steady contact on Mark’s cold stare. “You didn’t want her at all?”

“At first, I thought my passion for photography, the very thing that invigorates me every time I wake up to this world, was going to be taken away. It is what drives my life. It sounds sad, but just having only money and fame doesn’t cut it with me. Not anymore.” He put his glass on the table, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Granted, my passion and my power have made me a rather deadbeat father. Will it last forever? Definitely not, but until then, this is the road I’m taking.”

She nods her head, agreeing with his words. “I can understand that. Not everyone is as polished as what their reputation gives out.” She wets her lips, “What if your gift and powers make other people upset or envious?”

Mark shakes his head, “People always sees your gift and talents as a weapon of pride. Ernest Hemingway said ‘There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.’” He sets his glass down, not breaking his eye contact from the blonde. “So, use your talents to drive your life forward to become better than you ever were in the past. Always do it for yourself… never for others. Because it can an eternity before someone even gives a shit about you.”

Rachel rubs her knuckles into her chin, pondering. Her eyes dip down. _Am I thinking too much about saving other people? And not myself?_ A vortex heat ignites into her anxious mind. Her chaotic train of thoughts leads into another subject. “Mark… what happened to Audrey’s mother?”

The teacher licks his lips, with a blank stare. “She committed suicide.” Rachel blinks owlishly at his words. _Suicide?_ She thinks back to the other reality, where she already sealed her suicide note in the envelope. Finishing the final preparations to depart from the cold and unforgiving world. Rachel glances at the blue star, who starts to look moist, as a cut emerges on the skin. “Hey, Rach…” He quickly walks over, grabbing her napkin to gently squeeze her nose with it. “Your nose is bleeding…”

“Oh…” Her voice is muffled, as she takes the napkin away from him, applying pressure to it. “I’m fine…” Her eyes gaze at her left wrist, finding that the blood from her wrist is all an illusion.

He points down the hallway, “Are you sure? The bathroom is right there if you need it.” Mark helps her get up from her chair.

“I got it, thanks.” She nods her head, gently breaking apart from his grasp, making a quick bee-line toward the bathroom.

* * *

Rachel shoves the door opened into the bathroom, scrambling straight for the sink. The room is well maintained with the familiar white textured wall from the rest of the house. On the towel bar, hangs several clean olive towels. The room smells of apple caramel from the burning candle in the room.

She settles down the napkin to the side and turns on the faucet to rinse out the lingering blood on her nose and fingers. The bleeding actually didn’t last long.

 _“I was left alone… to rot for six months. You’re going to die, too. You wasted all your powers to bring her back for that ungrateful bitch.”_ The voice is calling to her again. Her own voice.

“No… I fucked up in my timeline. This is my chance to redeem myself as a person.” Rachel snaps at the mirror, letting out an anguished sigh.

“ _The real Rachel cured herself by changing her past. That’s why she is in every way better than you are.”_

Her reflection blurs for a moment, fading in the other’s Rachel reflection. The one with the long red scratch across the neck, the deep bleeding gash from her left wrist, and corpse-blue colored bruises on her face. She is still wearing her black dress, but there are holes around her belly area with blood dripping out of it. They are wounds from the stabbing she got from Corbin in the previous timeline. This is her true form. The disturbed Rachel that she wants to leave behind.

_“This is how you really look like. You’re sick. Your soul is cheerless, yet somehow your heart is full of care for these people. Why don’t you use your powers to make the future you want?”_

“Go… away” Rachel’s voice strains through her breath. Her face drifts away, rejecting the terrifying reflection. Her hands come close together, as an image of Maxine suddenly appears kneeling in front of her, with her neck in between Rachel’s hands. She is slowly being strangled to death, choking all the oxygen from her breaths. She gags violently, hurling any saliva left from her mouth, onto the tightly clenched hands of Rachel’s. Maxine’s eyes flutter rapidly, alternating between the pale and fleshy white, and the drowned sea blue eyes. Her jaw muscles finally relax, her lips parting away slightly. Her eyes gaze back as if she is looking at the only light from under the dark ocean.

The blonde glares down with a stony expression, at the lifeless stare from her own best friend. She tries to release the grip, but her hands refuse to fidget. Maxine’s blood relents from the surface of the skin, leaving a blue hue to her pale skin. Pure innocence forms nicely with her beautiful deathly stare. It is gorgeous, like what Jefferson said. Rachel is capturing this very moment with her eyes, like a camera.

A knock on the wooden door behind her, follow with it creaking open. Mark sticks his curious head in, “Rachel, are you okay?”

Rachel cranes her neck slowly, looking over her shoulder with a nonchalant stare. “I’m fine…” She blinks slowly, as this psychotic episode slowly dials down. “...but I need to go home.”

Mark opens the rest of the door, giving a full closer look to her. Sensing an irregular presence inside her. “You sure?”

She nods her head, not wanting to say anymore.

* * *

Rachel slowly creaks open the door into the little girl’s room on the second floor. It is small, almost seems like it could be a storage room. But somehow it is able to fit her bed, a small computer desk, and a medium-sized television, among the stacks of cardboard boxes cluttering around the room.

The little girl is holding a plastic white steering wheel, playing Mario Kart on the Wii. She lifts her head, over a stack of boxes. “Sissy! How was dinner?” Audrey pauses the game, propelling herself onto her feet with youthful energy.

“Hey… little sis.” Rachel pushes out awkwardly through her throat. Her mind is still unraveled from that clashing of memories. _My own inner demon was trying to mess with my head. But that memory of strangling Maxine to almost her death in my timeline… I never remembered it since I fast-forwarded through time. But I just saw it in that bathroom. Was that really what happened?_ While her stomach feels like it is rolling inside her, seeing the little brunette puts a small glimmer in her deathly eyes. She swallows, to ease the ache at the back of her throat. “Oh... it was delicious. Your Dad can make some good pasta.”

“Oh, yummy.” Her eyes light up in delight. “Maybe I can have some leftovers later.”

Rachel’s eyebrows arch up, remembering Audrey basically locked herself up in her room the minute they entered the house. “Oh that’s right, you didn’t get a chance to eat.” She pouts her lips, “You should come downstairs to eat some right now. I can heat it up for you.”

“It’s okay, I ate some pop tarts.” She rubs her belly, showing her satisfaction. She then points at the plate with remaining crumbs on it. “Do you want to play some Mario Kart? I have another controller. I can give you the steering wheel.”

“I would love to…” Rachel glances at the paused screen with the goofy green dinosaur, Yoshi. It strikes some old nostalgia with the older Mario games. She curbs the urge to make herself comfortable at the welcoming spot right beside Audrey on the bed, to play the mindless fun racing game. “...but I should get going.” The blonde squeezes the little girl’s cheek, making her giggle in silence. _She is very adorable. How can a girl be so innocent and pure? With her mother committed suicide and to be raised by a deadbeat psycho?_ The blonde turns her attention to the red stuffed dragon that is purposely positioned right by her, staring at the little girl, like a curious and protective pet. “Audrey, when did you get that stuffed dragon?”

The little girl sighs in a joking way, “Yes… Thanks again... Rachel! For winning me the dragon today. Yeesh… You have to keep rubbing it in…” She grins, baring her teeth.

“That’s what I do…but you’re welcome.” Rachel comes up with a quick witty reply. _Cool! I did get her that as a gift._

“I know. This is almost as cool as your tattoo.” She points at red dragon tattoo on the smooth calf of the beautiful blonde.

“Hey, I won it for you. So you will always remember me.” Rachel walks over to the stuffed animal, playing with the mouth in a funny way.

“I know.” Audrey presses her lips together tightly, giving a short hesitation. Then, she finally spills it out, “Sissy, will you marry my Dad?”

“What?” Rachel’s eyes shoot wide opened.

“Oh… uhh.. maybe it is too soon, huh? Nevermind!” She lifts both her hands, shaking them in an adorable way. “I just… really like you. And I don’t ever want to see you go away from me.” She suddenly becomes timid with a slight blush.

“Aww…I like you too. I’m never leaving you.” Rachel takes a steady breath, thinking that she did leave her when Jefferson murdered her. She comes close and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Hey… is everything alright with you and your Dad?”

“Oh...sure.” She looks dearly into Rachel, then at her door, making sure her father isn’t there. She whispers. “It is just Dad is always busy. Sometimes he comes home late, and I have to fend for myself.”

Rachel looks over her shoulder, also making sure Mark isn’t behind her. She whispers, “I think that’s normal for a teacher of his status.”

“He also talks on the phone with people. He always avoids me. Like it is important.” Audrey dips her head, even closer. “Please don’t tell this to Daddy.”

Rachel nods, “Yeah, I won’t say anything.” She makes a zipping hand gesture over her lips, promising to keep her secret. “But I have to go, now.”

“Aww…” Audrey throws both of her arms up, signaling Rachel to kneel down for a hug. “Bye, Sissy! Text me when you get home!”

“Bye, little Sis! I will!” Rachel gives one last kiss to her forehead, before letting go of her tiny hands, to join downstair where Mark is waiting patiently.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### 101 North

#### March 20th, 2013 10:20 PM

The drive back to Arcadia Bay is quiet with the smooth purring from the Bentley Flying Spur. The large bay looks like a huge abyss as the deep night settles in. It is rather a pleasant sight to let your eyes get lost in the beautiful void. However, to view this grandeur vista, Rachel would have to look awkwardly passed Mark, who hasn’t said too much during the ride. It is an abrupt ending to the night in which was expecting much more.

Rachel reads an upcoming sign on the side of the road: _Arcadia Bay - 5 miles_

 _I definitely caused a big shift in this timeline. I know Mark and I were supposed to fuck tonight. I never knew how I felt around guys, but… I guess I feel fine._ Rachel makes a quick peek at the handsome teacher, who looks very natural despite the given result of the date. _A part of me wants him. Badly. I was madly in love with him, at least in a lustful way._ She blinks her eyes, still gazing deeply into his calm and cool face. _Is he really that bad of a guy? Or was there some mistake? I should listen to Max’s warning._

She gulps her throat, stiffening her posture. _But… what if she’s wrong? At least with some of the stuffs?_ Rachel holds out her right hand, casting out a red flame, as she gazes deeply at it with furrowed eyebrows. Sick of feeling lost and confused, she wants to make use of her abilities, which is something that the other Rachel didn’t have the luxury of. “Why do you drug the girls?”

Mark grips uneasily onto the steering wheel. He glances over at the blonde who is gazing absently ahead at the dark winding road. “What?”

“Taking pictures of them while they are drugged. With Nathan Prescott as your accomplice. It all makes sense now, you’re abusing a rich kid for your damn goals.”

“Did Nathan…” He wets his lips, “...tell you this?”

Rachel turns her body to face him, sitting sideways against the leather seat. “Nah.” She shakes her long hair, giving a steady bold stare to the teacher, who is still calm, and focusing on the road. “Six months from now, Nathan murders Chloe Price, who is a very good friend of mines at Blackwell Academy. This basically unravels your secret to the public. Nathan is going to reveal everything about you. He is sick of hustling drugs and all the abuse from you, to satisfy your fetish. You are also going to jail for the murder of me.” She takes a deep breath, as that sentence actually sends a chill into her soul. “You’re going to rot and get raped in prison like the fucking shit you are. Audrey is going to a foster home with a horny scumbag. You also drugged two girls that are very important to me. One who attempted suicide, because her life spiraled downward, thanks to being a result of your passion and power.”

The teacher lets out a chuckle under her breath, “Are you sure you were just doing pot with Frank?”

Rachel scolds at him, “Say what you want, asshole. I can instantly rewind all of this, so you don’t even remember what I said. If you think I’m bluffing, am I not telling the truth that you’re drugging them to capture their innocence? And also notice how I’m not at all afraid of telling you all of this… right in front of a total psychopath.” She holds out her readied right hand, preparing to rewind time if anything happens.

Sensing the seriousness in her tone, but Mark is still feeling incredulous. There is a short moment of dead silence as he ponders on what to say next while focusing on the road. He blinks owlishly, replying in a low sardonic tone, “So, you are from the future?”

“Yes. But I’m actually not even from this timeline. I’m not even the same Rachel that you know. I jumped from my timeline to take over this body temporary. I’m going to change everything and make the future better. And more importantly, you’re going to die.”

He scoffs, “Multiple timelines, now?” His expression is rather nonchalant with the reveal of the supernatural ability. “I knew there was something a little off about you tonight. Shame… I really miss tugging of that beautiful hair of yours, as you suck on my cock.”

Rachel’s eyebrows twitch at the insult of her counterpart. “Don’t worry, you’re going to be forced to suck on someone else’s dick in prison.”

“So… different Rachel… but same father, right?” Rachel presses her lips together at his words. Her heart quickens, as her stomach rolls in place. Mark senses all of this. “The same father that brought home a barely legal girl… with long blonde hair… and hazel eyes.” He turns his eyes away from the road for a quick moment, to grin at the blonde. “In other words, you father wanted to fuck you. Did you know that?” Rachel clenches her teeth through her lips. “Oh… that struck a nerve, didn’t it?”

“Fuck you…” Her voice is soft, but slowly fuming with anger. “...you’re a damn psychopath. You’re just making this all up.”

“So you didn’t know this, huh? Did you…” He blinks rapidly, with a condescending expression. “...just jumped into this Rachel’s body tonight?”

Rachel wets her lips, but even with flaring eyes, she has nothing to say.

“Huh…” Mark nods his head. “Your mother was away visiting your aunt for a week. You were on break, staying home in Long Beach.” He traces his finger along the steering wheel, “...and your father didn’t know that. You woke up in the middle of the night, to the sound of moaning and slurping.” Rachel’s face shivers into a grimace. He notes this, letting out a laugh, but still, maintains a steady contact with her furious eyes. “You sneak downstairs to find your father ramming his cock into the young lady’s face. He wishes it was you sucking, though.” He points at her, “I bet you wanted it too. That’s why you go for older men, like both me and Frank.”

 _He’s putting the blame on me. They’re just lies. This guy is just playing with my mind._ However, Rachel still cannot heed her own warnings, as she digs her nails deep into her fleshy skin, till it glows pale, “Fuck you.”

“And you told all of this to your mother. How humiliating that must have been. For her to move to Arcadia Bay to be closer to you and away from your father in Long Beach.”

 _Max gave me Mom’s address. I remembered we were living in Long Beach the last time I was in this timeline._ “I’m not believing anything you’re saying.”

“Judging from the tears in your eyes, you are. Because you know it.” Rachel’s eyes are teary, as the rage is spilling into sorrow, as well. “To have all that optimism and future, to be all burnt away.”

“Pull over the car…” Rachel snarls at him, “...Right now!”

“As you wish…” He casually pulls over the car off the side of the road, gradually slowing down to a complete halt. He puts the car into parking gear.

Rachel quickly unbuckles her seat belt. “You fucking shit! I'm going to kill you!” She explodes with ferocity, slamming her fist straight into his temple, sending him instantly in a dazed state. The sudden jerk of his head causes his glasses to fall off his face. This isn’t the first time she gave a brutal beating to someone. She continues wailing on him with repeated blows scattering across his head. Mark actually doesn’t do much to defend against the attacks, as his head recoils sharply against the impact of the blows and rebounding back for more. A few of her strikes land squarely at his nose, triggering a torrential stream of blood to spill down his face, and splattering his white buttoned shirt. The blonde halts her unrelenting assault that stirred the demon within her. Her breaths are heavy, and fatigue slowly seeping in all over her body. But at the same time, she is shocked at the resilience of the psychopath. “What the fuck?…” She falls back to her seat with her stinging bruised knuckles, then looking at the bloodied teacher.

Mark expels a laugh through his panting breaths and bloody clenched teeth. “You’re so beautiful. But no, Rachel… I had no intentions of drugging you like my girls. You may have the naive optimism that all the other girls I enjoy. But you’re too impure and corrupted.” His breaths are uneasy and heavy, as his face is aching in pain. “How well do you even know Nathan?”

“I know him. So fuck you.” She hisses back at him with bitterness.

“Not enough. He, on the other hand… like everyone in the fucking school... wants a piece of your cunt. But you shove him aside.” His voice squeals, mocking him. “He said he doesn’t want to be another loser in this world. And he wants to be better than his fathers. Both Sean… and me.” He glares deeply into the blonde with his dark glassy eyes. “Who do you think gets the drug for me?”

“You’re twisting his mind. He looked up to you. I know you’re the one that fucking killed me.”

His pupils constrict as his eyes widen like he is making a discovery. “Your eyes is so furious. Yet, it is just as naive as my subjects. Perhaps, you’re right… it is me.” He flutters his eyes closed, holding out his hand, which is trembling in pain. “You’re right, it isn’t Nathan. He would never do such a thing to you. He also never gets jealous that you’re spending time with me, and not him. No envy ever comes out from that lunatic… especially when you asks me to take the photos instead of him. But...” He opens his eyes back up, “He will one day, try to surpass me. He won’t but he will try. And that will be his mistake.” Mark makes a gesture with his hand of a syringe injecting into a body. “I know the right dosage. Enough where the girl isn’t squirming like they’re aching to cum all over herself. But also… not enough where they are dead.”

His low voice sends a rumbling chill into Rachel. Her rigid muscles stiffen, “You’re the real creep. I’m sure of it. If I need to, I’ll take down Nathan too.”

“Sure…” He nods his head, through his clenched teeth. “So you come from the future? My daughter also becomes a bag of meat for someone?” He says it, with such coldness in his tone. He has no feelings or remorse for his own daughter. And the thought of it just sends a twitching fury into the blonde. _This fucker doesn’t even care about Audrey at all..._

Rachel clenches her fist, resisting the urge to slam it again into his skull. “No… I’m going to adopt her. Take her away from scum like you.”

"You can do whatever the fuck you want with her." Mark snorts through her nose, as his blood mixes with the mucus, dripping from his nostrils. “So earlier you were saying you’re unsatisfied with your life. Well, it makes a lot of sense, if you’re jumping through timelines to do all this shit.” Rachel’s eyebrows twitch, as he talking on the same page as she is. His head tilts back in fascination. “Oh… I see weaknesses.”

“You bitch... I have people...”

“You have no one haha. Only a lonely starving cunt like you would bother this. To help another version of you in a totally different world...” Rachel shakes her head in disapproval but not saying a word. Mark capitalizes that his guess is striking the right chord into the soul of the blonde. “Oooh...Yes! That face… I love it!”

“Fuck you…”

“It’s true! I can see the loneliness and despair mixing with the fury in your eyes!” His eyes widen, “Wow, you’re the pathetic Rachel. The virgin Rachel.”

“Shut the fuck up…” She forces through her thick throat, her shoulders tightening. “I’m going to take you down.”

“Are you?” He exhales through his stinging breaths. “Do you know where my real hideout is?”

Rachel presses her lips together firmly. She actually doesn’t know anything about his hideout or the full details. “No… but I can text her for that location if I need to.”

“Her, huh? So where is this person?” His head scans around his surrounding mockingly. “You really don’t know anything, huh? She wants you to be a hero, but do you really feel like one?”

“So what? I trust her…” Rachel’s eyes is not focused, as her face quivers slightly.

“I don’t think you do.” Mark senses her uneasiness. “Did I break your heart? You can tell me, my angel.” He pouts his lips, in a false mocking pity. “The person who told you all of this… is she doing it to save you or for herself?”

Rachel blinks rapidly, as the tears in her eyes cloud her vision. “She’s doing for all of us.”

“Wrong…” Mark grunts through her deep breath. “Everyone are in it for only themselves. There are no heroes in this world.” His voice suddenly calms down, “Tell me, do you have a home after you accomplish what you need to do here?”

Her body hunches over, as her mind becomes more receiving to his words. The crazy Rachel isn’t just a shadow to this perfect girl anymore. Her toxic and ill thoughts are starting to take over this mind and body. She mutters softly, “No… I don’t...”

Mark nods solemnly, still aching through his throbbing pain. “Then it will be the end of the road for both of us. Everyone else will have their way.” His breaths calm down, as he gazes straight ahead of the road. “Such a shame… with everything you are doing and all that powers.” His voice is calm and almost serene for the psycho he is. In the end, it seems like he could be possibly believing Rachel’s words about everything. Being observant of the dinner conversation and all her body language, he can piece the fragments of Rachel’s mind. Perhaps, this is something he can do skillfully as the manipulative psycho he is.

Her eyes quiver at the thought of his words, causing her to sob softly. She clenches her hair locks tightly, yanking them as hard as she can without peeling it off her scalp. The pain on the top of her skull isn’t enough to curb the seething chaos in her mind.

Mark stares blankly into the windshield, unaffected by the stinging pain in his skull. The blood on his face becoming more cold and dry, slowing its advance in his beard.

The rising amount of resentment fuels Rachel urge to inflict further pain on this body and this timeline. Through her pained breaths, she curbs his seething anger. _No… I can’t…_ Unable to take this any longer, she holds out her hand, channeling the energy to rewind. Everything moves rapidly backward, starting with Rachel throwing her several punches to all the way back when the car is in motion. However, there seems like a slight tear in her vision, as she recognizes it being the backyard of Chloe’s house. She scans to the left, seeing that her left wrist no longer have the star tattoo, instead, the large gash is there. The bandage has fallen off, and it is bleeding even more. She lets out a loud gasp, through her disorientation, halting all the whirling shapes.

“Rach, are you okay?” Mark grips tightly on the steering wheel, glancing over at the preoccupied student. His face is completely clean again, showing an increasingly amount of genuine concerns. Rachel grips her arms uneasily, shivering off the flood of emotions from impacting her body again. He reaches over the climate control of the car, turning up a few degrees. “You look cold…”

“No… I’m fine.” She mumbles through her mouth and crossing her arms. She looks at the underside of her arm, seeing the tattoo is there and that she is no longer bleeding. Her hair and body are perfectly fine as the self-abuse has been rewound. But the phantom pain still lingers in her mind. But seeing that glimpse of the other timeline in Chloe’s backyard troubles her. _Fuck, I think using my powers is tearing apart my real body._

She looks out the window and seeing a familiar road sign passing by. _Arcadia Bay - 5 miles_

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay : Blackwell Academy - Outside

#### March 20th, 2013 10:32 PM

Rachel shuffles in her heels along the dark path to Blackwell Academy, as Jefferson dropped her off a short distance from school to avoid suspicions from the students and staffs. The breeze of coldness reinforces the loneliness in her spine. She hunches her body, huddling underneath her small black jacket, with chattering teeth.

_Could Nathan be the one that killed me? But Max said it was the Mark… but maybe she’s not sure? Shit… I don’t really know anymore. I can’t trust anyone’s words. I can’t trust Max. And I definitely can’t trust Mark._

She pulls her phone out of her purse, seeing that she got a few text messages and a notification from Facebook.

_ “You have a new message in your ‘Other’ mailbox” _

This notification catches her attention over the unread text messages. She launches the app, checking her inbox.

> **Max Caulfield:** Hey Rach! It’s Max. I figured we can talk to each other and keep in touch! :)

She stares blankly at the bright screen, scoffing at it. She tightens her grip on the phone, as the tendons emerge in her arms. _Max… fuck you. You got your parents and Chloe back already. What is there to talk about?_ She lets out a sigh, pressing the phone to her forehead, trying to calm herself down. Resisting any more toxic thoughts, she shoves the phone back into her purse. She continues walking back to Blackwell Academy, without checking her phone.

* * *

She approaches the yard in front of the dormitory. The wind is still brushing loudly against the leaves around the perimeter of the opened area. Rachel looks at the center of the yard, where both her and Max were sitting there together for the first time. The first time they touched each other. She grasps at her body, to both warm herself up and relishing the happier moments with Max.

 _That was before my life went to shit in my timeline._ She walks up the steps, through the double doors, and up the stairs to the second floor.

The second-floor hallway has some small signs of life, with the sounds of music being muffled through the doors. The common area by the stairway seems to have someone in it, watching television. Rachel didn’t want to draw any attention if she can avoid it. She walks casually in the shadows of the hallway.

_Room 224, here it is… Can’t wait to just lie down and end this long awful night._

She digs her keys out of the purse. Luckily, there aren’t too many different keys to try out before finding the right brass-colored one. She enters the door and quickly let it close behind her.

Rachel turns on the lights, kicking off her heels and scanning all around in her new _home_. The room has a rope light that dangles the full width of the room. Along the rope are photos clipped onto it. Pictures are mostly in pairs, with her and Chloe. As well as Nathan, Victoria, and a few other unrecognizable people. Rachel is very popular, and keeping all these friends close to her seems important to her. The walls are white colored but the colored desk lamps give it a pink-peach aura. There are posters of punk rock bands, as well as a poster that says ‘Welcome to Hollywood’.

Rachel stares on in awe, quite the contrast with her lonely and dead apartment. This room is vibrant, combined with the slightly muffled noises of music and chattering through the walls showing hints there are other people in Rachel’s life. And that she is never alone. Rachel closes her eyes, letting the gentle cool air conditioning soothes her warm body. _This is...my home. This Rachel didn’t dwell on the past. I need to calm down as well...at least for now..._

She walks over to the dresser, that has a large mirror over it. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. _No more fucking visions. Relax…_ She opens them back up, straightening up her posture, feeling a sense of calmness carrying her body. Rachel removes the straps off her shoulders and unzips her black dress, letting it slip off cleanly down to the floor. The sultry girl gives a few poses, observing her body.

The cool air of the room settles down on her smooth skin, gently caressing it and leaving goosebumps. She traces a finger along the outline of her bra, then brushing her fingers against the cups, feeling the softness of her material. Her hand then slowly glides down across her body, touching every curve along her fit belly, and right down to her black panty. Even despite the harsh confrontation of Jefferson, her body still yearns for his. Her hand feels around the soft sheer material of her panty, her mouth quivers at the sensations.

 _My body was really craving Mark… But…fuck him._ Her eyes lift up to the blank ceiling, recalling her recent memory of kissing Max in that anomaly in the backyard. Her tongue slowly comes out, as she imagines she is running it along Max’s jawbone, and visualizing the shy girl to squirming and moaning in pure enjoyment. Ignoring all her toxic thoughts about Max, Rachel steadies her breath, honing in on the warm and tender memory of shy hipster in her mind. Her finger traces down until arriving at her mound through the soft material of her panty. She gives a roll of her finger over it, sending a shocking tingle and digging her toes into the carpet. The soft material shifts over her sensitive parts, as she flutters her eyes closed. She hums softly to herself, focusing her fingers, to create a circular ripple in her panty that rub against her slit. She puffs out a gasp.

Someone knocks on the door, halting her pleasure and the heat. She lets out a frustrating sigh through the disappearing flush on her face.

 _Fuck me… Ugh, maybe I was getting a little too comfortable. I should get used to this Rachel’s life._ Her throat utters another sigh of disappointment, as the heat leaves from between her legs. “One moment,” she articulates rather clearly through her trembling throat. _I may have gone a different path from this Rachel, but she is still part of me._

Not wanting to dig through her closet, she carefully puts back on the delicate dress, not zipping the back up all the way, and relying on the two straps for support. She makes to the brown door, opening it slowly.

A blonde girl with a blue cardigan, white buttoned shirt, and gray skirt stands behind the door. She is also carrying a messenger bag and a large backpack. The visitor looks back with her unsteady eyes. “H-Hi, My name…” she stammers her sentence, gulping her throat. Her hands shakily hold up a box of cookies. “Sorry to bother you at this time. This is a fundraiser from uh… New Dawn Church. Would you like a box of uh…” She turns the box over to read the content on the box, then her eyes return back to the slightly flustered blonde girl. “...Mint Crisp! So yeah...would you like…” Her voice halts from the engulfing silence emanating from Rachel, causing her to wince and retreating a few steps back.

“No, I don’t have any money for cookies,” Rachel grumbles under her throat, not giving much eye contact.

The blonde’s head sinks downward, “No problem. I’m so sorry. I won’t disturb you then.” She puts the box of cookies back in her messenger bag, then she makes some exaggerated slow sneaky steps towards the stairway, but still maintaining eye contact with Rachel. After a few steps, she halts, seeing the popular girl’s distant stare deep into the hallway. “Is everything okay?” Her voice is sweet and soothing.

Rachel fidgets with her fingers, unable to maintain contact. The sorrow from earlier is slowly seeping back into her soul. “I… don’t even know anymore…”

The cookie-selling girl waddles her way towards Rachel, “Here, take this.” She pulls that same box of cookie back out of her bag, holding it out with both hands. “Please have it. It’ll cheer you up.” She lets out a sunny grin.

The girl’s positive aura radiates, penetrating into Rachel to lift her spirits. Normally, she wouldn’t take anyone’s offering like this, but she could use it this time. Rachel returns with her own smile, “Thank you,” she says weakly, taking the box of cookies.

“No problem.” She gives a wave with her hand and begins marching short steps toward the end of the hallway.

Rachel looks onto her, seeing her walk off, lugging the large backpack on her back toward the dark stairwell door. “Kate…” she calls to her.

The blonde girl immediately stops on her heels, looking back with wide eyes. She quickly patters her feet back to the door, giving a warm cheery smile. Rachel presses her lips into a forced smile, pushing her back against the door, opening it wider. “Come in…”

The church girl shuffles her feet through the doorway, with Rachel closing the door right behind her. Kate turns around again with her smile, her eyes are full of delight, “I woke up back in my room after talking to Max in Chloe’s backyard, realizing it is March all of the sudden. I wasn’t even sure if I went back with you guys or somehow got booted into a totally different timeline all by myself.” Rachel crosses her arms over the black dress, with the box of cookies in her hand. She makes steady steps towards the other angel. “So the first thing I did was hop on a bus to Blackwell Academy where I pretend to blend in as a student in the common area.” She points in the direction of the stairways through the walls of the room, “I don’t know if I messing with the time-space continuum, but I had to make sure you were okay.” She wobbles in closer to Rachel, "You brought me back..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note : Hey sorry for the delay on this. I went a bit back and forth with this chapter, and this really took squeezed out all the creativity from my brain. This chapter was very different and unique for me to write. Hopefully, it flowed well enough for you guys. Rachel is having a conflict with her own mind/body, as she also suffers some PTSD and seeing her old memories.
> 
> A very difficult person to characterize is Jefferson. I don't read many fanfictions but I don't think he is used too often either. I don't want to give a full analysis of what I did with his character, but just going to "speak out loud" with what I did in this chapter and nothing in regards to the game theories. Simply, Rachel and Mark is in a teacher-student relationship. Rachel sees Mark as wise and very optimistic and passionate. Of course in the dining table scene, (this) Rachel was asking Jefferson for his advice and thoughts about certain things. In the later part of the chapter when Rachel reveals to Mark her time travel powers and how he reacted to it... well this part was very difficult. Of course, I made Mark a little psycho (like in EP5). But I thought a little bit what a "psychopath" would really say in that situation... Overall, I went with the route where he didn't even fight back against Rachel's assault. I feel that Mark can speak to Rachel and do "more harm" to her that way and crush her spirit. Some of his words can be the truth or can be deceitful. But everything he said to Rachel, crushes her. Whether or not Mark truly believed in Rachel's time travel powers is one thing... but I feel he is very clever at reading people and "filling in the blank". At the end of the day, you just never know for sure. And to be honest, if Rachel was lying...Mark isn't going to let her leave that car alive. And if she isn't lying, he can at least twist her mind. There is definitely explicit language from Mark in this section.
> 
> Some gratuitous steamy scenes in this chapter to make some use of my Mature rating. :D Of course, I ended the chapter abruptly with Kate rambling... :) Yay, Rachel brought her back with her powers as well, but is it worth it? And how is Rachel going to interact with Kate after all this?
> 
> Anyways, this chapter was very fun and difficult to write. I hope it was interesting enough for you guys. :) Let me know what you think!


	22. The Night Settles In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy theme, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Prescott Dormitory - Room 224

#### March 20th, 2013 10:47 PM

Kate tugs on her sleeves of her cardigan, bringing both hands close to her chest. Her glowing eyes quiver in anticipation for Rachel’s reply. She shifts her attention to her surroundings, as she has never seen this room before. The soft cool breeze from the air conditioner, cools her smooth silky skin that is covering her rising pulse. Her breaths are heavy and in rhythm with her body bouncing up and down on the toes of her white sneakers in eagerness. The beautiful crisp golden bulbs of the rope light that dangles over their heads like fallen stars. Pictures are clipped onto this rope, showing off great memories with this mysterious girl’s life.

Rachel has always been mysterious to everyone, especially to Blackwell newcomers like Kate and Max. And now Kate is facing this legend, alive and breathing, treading into unexplored territories. And if that isn’t already abnormal, the _Rachel_ inhabiting in this body is from a different timeline. The same Rachel that Kate has previous reservation against due to her unpredictable behaviors and destructive time travel powers. With the ability to jump into another _timeline_ and potentially shred it apart.

Rachel nods her head absently, wandering her eyes off to the side. “Yeah… I brought you back.” Her gaze becomes lost on the soft pink-peach hue of the wall. _I pretty much burned my powers to take this girl back. Was it worth it?_ She flips her left arm over, revealing the blue star tattoo on her wrist. _No, I made that cut to myself. It isn’t Kate or anyone else… My powers are causing more strain to my body than it normally would because it is mutilated._

Kate’s eyebrows arch with her pursed lips at the observation of the lack of enthusiasm, “You don’t seem too happy about that, though.”

“No… I am.” She lifts the box of cookies in her hand, shaking it softly, rattling the contents inside it. “You’re… a very sweet person.”

Kate takes a quick breath of air, relishing the sincerity of her voice. Her timidness with this complete stranger dwindles away slightly. She tips her nose up as her hazel eyes gleam with sudden excitement, “Oooh..” She lifts her right index finger up in the air, “Let me introduce myself. I’m Kate Bev-...”

“Beverly Marsh. I know.” Rachel’s face tightens, with uneasy eye contact. “...I was watching you two closely in the backyard. It’s...very nice...” Her voice delicately vanishes away into the air. Kate slumps her shoulders, a slight glow blooming on her face. Rachel blows off a soft laugh shrugging her shoulders, “You come from a conservative family and beliefs, I know it is frowned upon… But if you like her, you like her.”

“No...it’s…” Kate shrouds her face with her hands for a brief moment, then she slides it off. “My mother would have killed me for being anywhere near Max. It’s just stupid! But this is a new timeline anyways.” She clenches her teeth and shaking her fists. “I don’t even know. Maybe this is the first time I felt… wanted in my life.” She crosses her arms, staring deep into Rachel. “I always do lots of community work along the coast where I help the unfortunates and children. I find a lot of joy in helping people.” Her head dips down, “But lately, I’ve been getting bullied and teased a lot by my schoolmates and family. I question myself, sometimes. I feel lost like a total outsider.” She squeezes her arms tightly against her body, grasping at it with a sweet smile. “So it feels nice to be wanted, unconditionally. From both of you, two.”

“You should never question yourself for doing a great thing for someone. But I understand you have to love yourself before you love others.” She pinches her lips tightly, nodding her head. “But to be wanted unconditionally… sounds like a pleasant feeling. I never felt that before.”

Kate glances at the beautiful girl, scanning down her beautiful tight black dress that shows off her sultry curves. “Rachel, you’re the most popular girl-” She quickly snuffs her breath underneath both her hands, instantly regretting her own words.

The buzz Rachel got from drinking all that wine at Jefferson’s suddenly expels swiftly from her system with Kate’s mistake. Her blood pushes hard through her veins with bitterness seething up her throat, “I’m not _that_ Rachel.”

“I know! I’m so sorry…” Kate whimpers, holding out her hands together, begging for forgiveness.

“It’s okay.” She takes a deep breath, lifting both her hands and running it down the length of her long slightly wavy hair. “I’ve been in this body and slowly finding out everything about her. I mean look at her…” She turns to point at herself in the mirror above the dresser. “She looks so gorgeous and lively compared to me. She’s younger than me, and seems like she already done more with her life than I ever could in my lifetime.” She holds out at her hands, examining her own body. “It really puts me down… I’m jealous of her. She’s just better than me in every way.”

“Rachel… don’t compare yourself like that.”

“Yeah, I know that saying… ‘Comparison is the death of joy’. But this is… _me_.” She puffs out a sigh. “And I’m living in her body right now.”

Kate takes a steady step closer, with her hands interlocked behind her back and underneath her backpack, “There is something different about you. You saved Max, her parents, Chloe and this Rachel. And you brought me back. How come?”

Rachel shakes her head and wetting her lips, “I brought you back so that stupid bitch can get whatever she wanted.” Kate slightly parts her lips at the comment made towards the brunette. Rachel reaches for her phone in her purse, waving it in the air like she is ready to send it flying across the room. “I’m sorry… it just that my powers is all that I’m ever good for. If even that...”

Kate tilts her head slightly, “Are you mad at me? Please tell me the truth…”

“I’m not mad at you. But... I’m envious of you.”

“What is there to be envious of me?” Kate looks down at herself, unsatisfied.

Rachel holds her index finger, squeezing her eyes closed, not wanting Kate to go further down that route. “...Don’t… you have no idea how it is to be able to control parallel timelines.”

“I know…” Kate squeaks out, tensing her body from the stern voice from the time master. “But what about your timeline?” She finally takes off her huge backpack, gently setting it down on the carpet. “Max told me a little about it. But I want to hear all of it from you, without holding anything back. Can you tell me everything that happened?” 

Rachel pinches her nose, then she opens her eyes, seeing the church girl unzipping her backpack and beginning to dig into it. “Well, it’s a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

Kate pulls out an electric tea kettle and two tea cups. Just like in the other timeline where she listened to Max talked about her weeklong adventure with her time travel powers and Chloe. “Sure, but first… would you like some chamomile tea?” A smile emerges from her puffy face, tucked between the tea kettle and the cups in her hands.

Rachel stares at the adorable girl, breaking out a smile to cheer up her cold mood. _After the shitty night with Mark, I could use some time to relax and talk to Kate._ Rachel nods gently with her own smile. “Sure.”

* * *

Like before when Rachel told Max about everything that has happened to her, she did it with Kate. She told everything about herself and her diminishing relationship with Maxine in her own timeline. The time travel trips she shared with Max of this timeline. How everything failed with her powers and now she has lost both Maxine and Chloe, and driven up to take her own life. She also mentioned how she jumped straight into Rachel’s body earlier in the night, right into meeting Audrey and her time at Jefferson’s house.

With red puffy eyes, Kate reaches for the tea kettle with her trembling fingers, to refill her cup with the soft golden liquid. Hearing the story of the dark and lonely journey of the time traveler has sweep the sorrow deep within the fragile angel.

Rachel continues with her story, “So, I rewound time canceling out that fucking insane confrontation I had with Mark in the car.” She hisses through her tight throat, “All that shit he said about my father and that Nathan is possibly the one that killed me.”

Kate carefully sets the kettle down, making sure it doesn’t spill onto the carpet. “Don’t… listen to everything he’s saying, Rachel. My god… still can’t believe you had to deal with Jefferson as the very first thing in this timeline.” She gazes deeply at the amber water in her teacup, “He took pictures of you while you were drugged. I remembered hearing it on the news but I never saw them. But Max saw them in a different timeline and broke her and Chloe’s heart seeing them.”

“I bet…” Rachel’s eyes are also teary, running some of her eye makeup down slightly. “Do you think this Rachel is disgusting for what she did? Having a relationship with a teacher?”

Kate wipes some of her lingering tears with the back of her wrists. “We are all driven by our emotions and our experiences. I just think about the other timelines that Max told me. That I took my own life...” She gently bobs her head recalling it. “I went through my dark times, getting drugged and videotaped. Bullied by my students and my family. I did have some passing thoughts about what it is like to be freed from this world.” She closes her eyes, puffing out an anguished sigh. “That other Kate, who did try to take her own life… While we didn’t go the same route, I still feel for her.” She takes a sip of tea from the cup, to moisten her throat. “I almost feel reborn. I need to be less worried about certain things in my life. Stopping my hesitation and actually start caring for myself…” She returns the steady eye contact with the other girl. “...and for others.”

Rachel’s eyes drift away, “It’s very open-minded of you to acknowledge all of this and make an effort towards it, despite not being one with time powers. To be honest, a part of me really do lusts for Jefferson. And the other part of me, really just wants someone. Even if it is temporary.” Kate nods, acknowledging her words. “But I also get what you mean about feeling reborn.”

“You carry over all your experiences and knowledge from either of these timelines. It must be twisting your expectations about everything in life.”

“Kate, you want to know the real reason why I’m here?” Rachel’s voice is showing more sternness. “Why I wanted to take over this Rachel’s body?”

“What is it?” She rests her hands politely on her lap.

Rachel’s gaze sails up into the ceiling, keeping the tears rooted on her eyes. “I don’t see myself living much longer. That’s why I came over to this timeline…” She sets her empty cup onto the carpet, off to the side, “So I can use my powers to save Max, her parents, Chloe and as well as you and this Rachel. But I can also have some happiness, glory and maybe some purposes before it is all over for me.” She stoops down her shoulders, “I know none of this is real for me. And no one really cares about this imposter from another timeline...but it still feels nice to be with someone near the end... you know?” Her voice delicately fades out into the air.

Kate pauses for a moment, trying to keep her emotions from overwhelming her throat. “Are you dying?” 

She presses her lips tightly, “I don’t know. I keep seeing myself bleed, especially when I use my powers. It almost like it aggravates the wound in my actual body. And the bandage that Max wrapped fell off during the time trip.” She stretches out her fingers, gazing at her left wrist. “And I feel like my powers are weakening or something… like I can slip back to my horrible timeline without any warning.”

Kate blinks her eyes, allowing a trail to flow down her cheek. “And you used a lot of your powers to bring me back…”

Rachel nods, “I have no regrets. Like I said before, you’re an amazing person, Kate. I couldn’t leave you behind. And you’re so special to Max.”

“But your health… Rachel...” Kate sets her cup down on the carpet, shuffling her knees to close the distance, then reaching out for a full hug. She grips tightly on Rachel’s back, instilling some warmth into her cold body. Kate whispers into her ear, “Can you go back to your timeline and heal up, first?”

Rachel shakes her head, flailing her long hair, against the church girl’s hair bun. She grips her fingers tightly on the back of the cardigan. “It’s way too devastating to go back to my timeline on my own will.”

Kate gently pushes herself away, so their faces are just inches from each other. She whispers through her thick throat, “You saw something in me. Why did you come to me?”

Rachel dips her head down, brushing her fingers with Kate’s. “I don’t know… I feel I may have been guided by someone that is beyond my understanding. Maybe the ghost of Max’s mother.” She scoffs sharply, “Again, I’m just being used by people, even the dead. But with you… the more I see how you are with Max. The way you look at her… The way you hold onto her…” She clenches her teeth in frustration with herself. “Argh... Just go talk to Max. I know you want to do that now. You already have, right?”

Kate stares deep into her eyes. “No, I haven’t. Do you think if I talk to Max… I would just simply forget about you?”

“Well…” She gives a soft roll of her eyes, “You were begging to go back in time with her. So why wouldn’t you...”

“It’s not just that… I wanted to meet you, too.” Kate gently interlocks her fingers tightly, trying to ease away the insecurity from the gorgeous blonde. “I came straight here because I was worried sick about you. I know Max is in Seattle and unable to give you a hand in this… crazy timeline. Granted, I did felt weird knocking on your door several times this evening and waiting for you.” She straightens her posture, with a forced smile, changing the subject and her voice to a more cheery tone. “Do you want some more tea?”

“No, I’m go-”

Kate interrupts her, “I said!...” She snarls but in a pure playful manner, “...Do you want some more tea?”

“Yes, please!” Rachel squeals out, playing along with it. She observes carefully the petite girl, pouring tea into the cup. A cute frown takes over Rachel’s face of despair, causing her to let out a soft chuckle. “You have a quirky side to you, huh?”

“It is just my silly and non-confrontational way to lighten up the mood during these sad talks.” Kate blows a sigh, dipping her head down. “So many sad talks. I don’t want you to ever be alone. You can trust me, Rachel. With everything. I’m a good listener and I will keep my words with everything.” She squeezes her fists, “I know it may sound like you’re burdening people with your thoughts and emotions. But it isn’t. I’m going to hold on tight.” She winks to her, “If you fall, I’m crashing down with you. You got that?”

Rachel’s face becomes numb with her touching words, “Why are you like this to me?”

“Because you’re the real angel. You saved Max from dealing all of her problems by herself. And now you’re saving all of us.” Kate nods cheerfully, “We’re never going to forget what you have done for us. You got that?”

A warm smile slowly emerges, “Thanks, Kate.” She reaches over to open her purse, to take a look at her phone. “Let me text Chloe back. Can you give me a minute? You can unload your stuff.” She tips her nose at the available couch on the other side of the room.

“Cool… I was going to ask if I could sleepover. I told my parents I was going to sleep over at my friend’s house tonight for some bible study, before going to school tomorrow.” Kate pulls her large backpack closer to her, unzipping and digging into it. “So I’ll be ditching school as well.”

Rachel grins, “Thanks… I appreciate it.” She begins messing with her phone to catch up any conversations that have happened. “Would be nice to use some company.”

“No problem!” Kate replies with a cheerful voice, as her tears are slowly drying up on her face. She pulls out a light blanket and pillow from her backpack and tossing it onto the couch. Then she takes out a neatly folded white shirt and light teal pajama pants.

Rachel digs through her text messages, returning back to Chloe’s message thread.

> **Rachel:** Hey Chloe, I’m home now. :) I’m tired and going to head to bed, though. I think I’m gonna ditch class. I’ll see you tomorrow? (11:21 PM)

She rests her phone on her chest, taking a deep breath against it. _I need to calm myself. Spilling my guts to Kate is tearing me apart. But it is nice to hear her sweet comforting words._ Rachel blinks her eyes, recalling the earlier text message she had with Nathan about doing a photo shoot. “Kate, Nathan wanted to do a photoshoot with me early in the morning. What do you think of him?”

Kate looks over across the room, with a cold expression. “He drugged me.” The painful memories still carry over for her. “To have my body exposed like that on the internet… for all my classmates and family to see. My church community. I know this is a different timeline and he didn’t commit such act yet. But I’m not ready to forgive him. It is still too fresh in my mind.”

Rachel nods, remembering the terrible things that both her and Max had to suffer from Jefferson and Nathan. “I’m sorry. I totally understand Kate.” She gets back on her feet, standing up straight. “But I want to be there for Nathan. And maybe help put him on a different path.”

Kate sniffs her nose and nod with sympathy. “It might be too late, but maybe there’s still a chance for him.” She shifts her entire body to face Rachel. “Are you sure though? I mean you have already done so much for us.”

“I think I can do it. Maybe tomorrow night or the day after.” A question that has been boiling inside Rachel since the car ride back. “Kate… do you really think Nathan is the one that killed me?”

Kate looks on with a perplexed face, blinking slowly. “I knew Nathan was the one that got the drugs from Frank Bowers. But I thought it was Jefferson that kill-” She squeaks to a halt, covering her mouth, for a moment. She, then slides her hand off. “Oh that’s right you are now fine to hear about your death.” Earlier in the conversation, Kate already accidentally spilled out his name a few times, but noting Rachel is no longer affected by it, at least with this body. She gets up from the ground, tossing her neatly folded pajamas onto the couch, and sitting beside them. “Jefferson was possibly planning to blame everything on Nathan. But I guess who actually killed you was never confirmed. I don’t really know, Rachel. I didn’t think about it that way. I just know you died from an overdose.”

“Overdose, huh?” Rachel recalls the dream she had of seeing _this_ Rachel choking to death in the dark abyss. She pinches her nose, sensing a metallic smell welling up from it, but nothing is spilling onto her fingers.

Kate observes this with an empty gaze, “I did get a nose bleed, as my memories slowly came back together with the time travel earlier today.”

“I’m fine…” She lets go of her nose, thinking how Jefferson’s words are starting to piece together in her twisted mind. “No problem, Kate. I’ll talk to Nathan later.”

Kate has a stony expression, “I think he liked you too.”

“Yeah, this does seem to be a trend with this Rachel.” She nods, remembering a bit of what Jefferson said to her earlier and that they shared a friendship together. “It’s weird I hated him because Sean Prescott and his damn company got my father killed in my timeline.” She clears her throat, thinking about what kind of sick person her father has become when he is alive in this timeline. _I should maybe visit Mom or give Dad a call._ She wets her lips intrigued about the broken disciple of Jefferson, “...I think I’m very curious to meet Nathan now. But after I meet up with Chloe.”

Kate wiggles her finger, giving a commanding yet soft voice, “That’s fine. Just be safe. Promise to not go too far away from me. And share everything with me. You got that? I got your back. Even if my parents scream at me to come home. I’m here, Rachel.”

Rachel smiles, “Got it, Kate.” She grabs her phone and scrolls down the text message threads. She replies on Nathan’s text.

> **Rachel :** Nathan, I can’t do tomorrow in the day. Maybe at night or the day after?” (11:25 PM)

Still no text message back from Victoria after sending her an apology. Rachel sends a text message to her little buddy.

> **Rachel :** Audrey, I got home. Sleep tight, little sis! :) (11:26 PM)

* * *

The two girls go to the restroom together to wash up and brush their teeth. As it is getting pretty late, it isn’t too hard to avoid confrontations from the other students.

They both return back to the room, and change into their sleepwear, facing away from each other for privacy. Then they proceed to their respective sleeping spots. Rachel checks her phone, seeing the notification of new text messages.

> **Chloe:** alright! my rach ditching classes. yeah see you tomorrow. maybe grab lunch at two whales? yea fuck u… but pick you up at 11? (11:29 PM)

Rachel looks up at the blonde girl, who is facing away, tying the drawstring on her teal pajama pants. “Kate, is there a bus that drives around Arcadia Bay from Blackwell Academy?”

“Yeah, there’s a shuttle service that cycles every thirty minutes around several stops in Arcadia Bay.”

“That’s good to know. Was just curious. I’ll ask Chloe to pick us up, anyways.”

Rachel types her reply:

> **Rachel:** jeah :D Sure that’s fine. Love you! (11:35 PM)

_Oops, I misspelled ‘Yeah’... Eh, whatever the fuck…_

She scrolls to the next message finding it is Nathan’s reply.

> **Nathan:** Hey, it’s fine. I just wanted some practice with my camera. No biggie. I’m busy for the rest of the day tomorrow. Projects and shit. Maybe another time, then? (11:29 PM)

_No text message from Audrey? She probably went to bed, already. I did text her a bit late._

“Good night, Kate.” Rachel walks over to the light switch by the door, flipping it off. Not giving time for her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness, she steadily shuffles her feet into her bed, cuddling under the soft blanket. She stares absently into the halo-white ceiling which is lit up by shafts of moonlight and the lamps outside the dormitory.

Kate tucks herself underneath her blanket in the darkness, getting herself comfortable in the warm shield against the cool jets of air from the faint humming sound of the air conditioner. She squeals out a late reply after she is all settled in. “Good night, Rachel!” The slight rumbling from the vents isn’t enough to nullify the running thoughts inside the petite angel. Everything Rachel has said about her journey as well as the six months time travel that just happened earlier today. While it isn’t her first time travel experience, this is a much greater leap in time than she could ever be imagined. She is a reliving history with the decisions to address any mistakes or potentially create new ones in her life.

A few minutes has passed, and the electricity in her mind isn’t settling down. She makes several peeks, observing Rachel in the dark, hearing her fatigued breathing. Kate clenches her fingers on the blanket, snuggling herself underneath it but she cannot keep her wandering eyes off Rachel. “Mmm…” Kate hums loudly, making sure the other blonde can hear. “Rachel, I don’t think I can go to sleep.”

Weariness is already smothering Rachel as she groans through her heavy throat. “Mmm… do you need a teddy bear or something?” She leans her body up, absent-mindedly scanning her bed and the room for something cuddly to give to Kate, but cannot find anything.

“No, I’m so worried that when I wake up… I’ll be in a different timeline again.”

Rachel sighs heavily, releasing her supporting arms to crash back comfortably into the soft bed. “Nothing for you to worry about. I’m not going to reset this timeline.”

Kate blinks rapidly in the dark, as the distress continues to circulate in her body. “Still… what if you were to just disappear overnight.” She gazes at the dark irritated figure, slightly illuminated by the soft light from the ceiling. “You said you felt your powers weakening. And you could slip back to your timeline.”

“Kate, you wouldn’t even notice. The real Rachel is going to reclaim this body back.”

“Don’t say _Real Rachel_. You’re just as real.” Kate’s straining chest heaves against the cover of the blanket. “Don’t put yourself down like that.”

“I won’t leave this timeline, Kate… Not yet…” Her voice is gentle, “Have a good sleep.”

“But… still what if you do go? Then I wouldn’t be able to say goodbye. And you won’t…” Kate gulps her throat, “...ever come back to us.”

“Kate, sooner or later I do have to wake up from this dream. And find myself back in reality.” She takes a few taxing puffs of air, as her anxiety is slowly stirring her mind awake. “But… I’ll still remember you, Max, and Chloe. Forever. I’m going to carry the memories of meeting you guys in my soul.”

Kate’s eyebrows furrow in the dark, as this talk only making her feel even more uncomfortable than she did earlier. “Okay…” She throws her tiny body back onto her feet, sitting on the couch. “I can’t take this anymore. I’m going to sleep right beside you.”

“What?! No… I’m sorry for spewing all that bullshit. My mind is a fucking wreck right now.” Her voice lights up, “Kate, you just met me… you really want to share a bed with a complete stranger?”

Kate grabs her pillow, scooping up her blanket on her arm, and pacing across the room to Rachel’s bed. “I don’t know. I just don’t want you to ever feel like you’re ever alone.” 

Rachel looks back with her wide eyes, “You’re afraid I’m alone while I’m asleep ten feet away from you?”

Kate’s eyes dart left and right, as she scans the width of the bed for a vacancy, “Ugh… I don’t even know anymore… Fine, I’ll sleep on the ground right next to you.”

“What?! No, here…” Rachel, also pulls herself up, picking up her pillow. “You sleep on my bed. And I’ll sleep on the ground.”

“No!” Kate holds Rachel’s body from getting up, “You have been going through such a hard time, you need to relax your body.”

Instead of bickering back and forth, Rachel changes the conversation back to the earlier topic, “Kate, I don’t think I’m going to go.”

“You don’t think?” Kate lets out a scoff, but more in an anxious tone instead of rudeness. “So you’re not sure?”

“When I was rewinding all the way back, I slipped into this abyss for a moment.” Rachel wets her lips, recalling that dark experience. “I felt very detached and I saw _this_ _Rachel_ slowly dying. She was choking on her saliva, and I could hear a faint camera shuttering sound.”

“Oh no…” Kate’s delicate voice squeaks out, grimacing from the description. A chill twists its way slowly up her spine, “Shit.”

“Kate…” She gulps her heavy throat, her voice becoming sterner. “If anything does happen to me and I do go back to my timeline… You have to talk to this _Rachel_ about Mark and everything. You got that?”

Kate’s body stiffens, as her arm loosen up, dropping the blanket onto the floor. She quickly bends down to snatch it back up into her arm. Her voice trails off into the slight purring of the air conditioner, “...Of course… but…” 

“You can contact Max right away for help. Actually, you know what?…” Rachel leans over grabbing her phone on the nightstand, scrolling to her previous message from Max, who she has been neglecting to answer back:

> **Max Caulfield:** Hey Rach! It’s Max. I figured we can talk to each other and keep in touch! :)

Rachel types on her phone, replying back:

> **Rachel Dawn Amber:** Hey Max. I’m good right now. But I’m going to go to sleep now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

Rachel gazes at her message, spacing out into the white background of the Facebook messenger conversation. _Well, I have a long list of things to follow up tomorrow._ Then not a moment sooner, Max replies back:

> **Max Caulfield:** Hi! Hi! I’m soooooooo relieved to hear back from you! You have no idea!!! But sleep well! :D

Rachel lets out a relaxing laughter, sensing Max’s chirpiness from the text message. _She’s very happy to be with her parents. And I know she must be dying to hear back after the time trip._ She sets the phone back at the nightstand then return with a gaze at the ceiling. “Max is doing fine. You can go ahead and message her on Facebook whenever you want.”

Kate rests her pillow and blanket on Rachel’s bed. “No matter what happens, Rachel. Never give up hope. And I also won’t.” She kneels closer to the floor, giving a one arm hug to Rachel, pressing her cheeks against hers. “Always keep that in mind.”

Rachel’s pulse quickens, sending a flush up into her face from the sweet affection, “You really do know how to say the right thing, Kate.”

“I don’t want to whine too much about it. But to see time to rewind back six whole months. I’m not a time expert like you and Max. This blows my mind completely.” She lets out a forced laugh. “Part of my mind is spinning. But at the same time, I’m trying to convert all that chaos into something more inspiring. I’m ready to not make the same mistakes and improve myself.” She wets her lips, looking deep into Rachel’s eyes, who are gleaming from the reflection of the light. “I only knew Max for a month. And you for just a day. But I learned that it is never too early to care for someone. You keep saying you’re afraid of slipping away from us. Likewise, I’m also deeply terrified I may be letting go of you without even knowing.” Her face quivers from her soft sobs. “I don’t ever want that to happen.”

Rachel sniffs her nose, nodding slowly. “Kate… You know what?” She shoves her pillow close to the wall, “Here come put your pillow right beside me.” She pats at the now vacant spot and pushes her slim body along with her blanket close to the wall. “Hop on in.”

“Thank you.” Kate’s smile breaks her sobbing face for the moment, as slides her pillow over to the remaining available width of the bed, and roll gently onto the bed. She puts the light blanket on top of her, shuffling her body until it is resting comfortably. Her head sinks into her fluffy pillow. Together they both gaze at the same point of the ceiling above them with the shadow of the cross patterned window pasting on it. They are both squeezing close to their respective end of the bed, leaving at least a modest foot length between them.

Rachel looks over at Kate, observing her. “Are you comfortable? You don’t look like it.” She says it even though herself is partly uncomfortable with the idea of someone else sleeping in her bed. In the past in her timeline, Maxine has passed out in her bed a few times, always when they were both drunk.

Kate’s eyes are wide. There is definitely lukewarm feeling with the churning in her stomach with sleeping with someone else in the same bed as her. She only shared a bed with her sisters in the past, but this is a complete stranger. On the other hand, being close to Rachel does provide a comforting aura that soothes the church girl’s mind. “I do feel better now. Now that you’re next to me.”

“I do too, Kate. But… I may snore loudly.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Kate rolls her shoulders giving them a stretch, “Rachel, what are you going to do tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure.” Rachel ponders a little bit. “Meet up with Chloe? I’m not sure after that.”

“Yeah...” Kate agrees, then she adds later. “We can try and convince David to bust Nathan and Jefferson.”

“Nathan...” Rachel casts an empty gaze at the dead ceiling, thinking about how she wanted to have a talk with him.

“Rachel? Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m just tired. Been a long night.” She tucks herself more underneath the blanket, rolling herself to face the wall.

Kate also buries herself underneath her separate blanket. “Alright… Let’s go to sleep, then.” 

“Kate…?” Rachel gets her attention for one last time before they drift off to their separate dreams.

“Yeah?”

Rachel smiles with her back still facing Kate. “Thank you. For being here.”

Kate hums softly, “Mm-hmm. Thank you, Rachel, for letting me meet you. You’re a wonderful person.” Rachel nods her head, preparing to finally go to sleep after the long night. Kate drifts over to the side, looking at the back of the blonde for one last time before her eyes glide back up to the empty ceiling.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Unknown

A vast darkness stretches across the entire scene as Rachel finds herself back in the planes of the abyss. She stirs herself, shifting the aching muscles in her body onto her side. Her eyes find that her left wrist is bleeding again. She clenches it tightly to curb the sliver amount of her life that is leaking out of her. _No… did I go back to my timeline already?!_

“No… I’m not ready to go.” She lets out a cry of frustration, scanning across the plane. “Kate?...” her voice echoes hopelessly into the endless dark abyss but not into anyone’s ears, sending a loneliness feeling to twist sharply into her veins. She sobs softly underneath her breaths, sensing the familiar cold dread returning back into her body. “Please… Not yet...” She slowly pulls herself up, standing uneasily on her legs, staggering forward as there is no clear sense of direction.

Among the deep void of darkness, dark menacing shapes appear to add some structures and conformity as if her eyes are slowly adjusting. Her imagination makes it resemble like a city with a dark road in the middle. On one side of the road, there is a window with a radiant orange-hue coming from it. Rachel approaches it steadily, hunching her body into the opening. 

Through the window, she peers through what appears to be Chloe’s room, the one from her own timeline. Both Maxine and Chloe are sitting at the edge of the neat and tidy bed, playing Xbox One with a controller in their hands. They are both facing Rachel as if she is observing them from the television they are playing the video game from. There are no more visible bruises on their face, perhaps enough time has elapsed for it to heal.

“Argh, he just keeps shooting at me!” Maxine shouts at the television, as her eyes constantly cycle between the television and the black controller in her hand, demonstrating that she isn’t adept in using the game controller or playing video games.

“Don’t worry, just hide behind that wall and wait for your shield to regenerate,” Chloe gently gives out the command. The long blonde geek is fully focused on the game with her tongue sticking partially out of her lips, trying to rectify the situation that her garbage gaming partner has gotten herself into.

“I’ve been waiting for my shield to regenerate this whole fucking time-” Maxine suddenly propels herself off the bed, thrusting herself towards the television, as her character in the game has just died. “You know what? Fuck this shit!” She lifts the wireless controller up to her head, about to give it the drop test onto the laminate floor but she halts that thought when she sees the uneasy expression in Chloe.

“Oh… I’m so sorry.” Chloe has a concerned look, focusing more on the frustration of her friend rather than the health of her gaming peripheral. “...You’re not having fun, huh?”

“I’m…” Maxine takes a deep breath, brushing her long brown wavy hair with her available hand and letting out a calm sigh. She hops back on the bed with force, causing Chloe to rock up and down. Maxine gives a reassuring smile, reaching the nerd’s available hand. “Let’s keep going. I won’t run in like an idiot again.”

Chloe’s eyes follow down to the sudden warmth on her hand, as Maxine confidently interlocks their fingers together. The geek looks on with wandering eyes with dull and uncertain expression, feeling her face blushing with intensity. Maxine lifts their connected hand, giving an adoring kiss to Chloe’s hand with her thin lips. The blonde’s lips part smoothly at the sight of this in almost euphoric awe. Not from just the kiss itself, but the piercing hazel eyes from the brunette, sends her heart fluttering. Chloe’s body stiffens from the paralyzing gaze, that her own controller rolls off from her fingers, crashing into the floor. Both girls flinch at the loud sound, breaking the intimate silence between them with a nervous laughter.

Rachel drifts away from them, unable to gaze at something she has been yearning for. The bitterness in her body heightens as she pushes herself away from the window, redirecting her attention back to the emptiness. _This is the future. I’m not part of their life anymore._

Her legs almost buckle at the burdening amount of weight from her mind, stumbling along the dark road. On the other side of the road seems to be a doorway with a similar orange-hue emitting from it. She walks over it crossing her arms nervously and look into it. Inside is Chloe, Max, and Kate sitting around in a circle near some wrapped presents.

“Kate! Come sit closer…” Max waves at the hair bun girl to scoot closer.

The blue haired punk Chloe, twiddles her fingers, almost salivating at the sight of the delicious presents in front of her. “Alright! Let’s open our- Oh wait... Rachel!” Her head shoots up, looking directly at Rachel. “Wooo big presents! Move aside Maxorini, I want Rachel to sit next to me.” She waves towards the blonde at the doorway, then patting down at the open spot right beside her.

Rachel looks down at her own body, pointing at herself. “M-Me?” She stammers.

A voice comes up behind her. Her own voice. “You know I already put the name tags on these presents. So you can’t suck up to me. And no way I’m sitting next to you. Both Audrey and I had to carry these for you stupid losers.” The other Rachel walks right through the ethereal one, lugging a few presents in her arms. Behind her, Audrey follows closely like a cub with her mother, also holding some presents.

“Sissy and I got this.” Audrey squeaks out from her tiny lungs, as she looks up to her beautiful guardian. The look on the little girl’s face and the way she calls it puts a sharp and sour pain into Rachel’s guts. _Audrey… She was calling me that._

“My fault! I should have gone out to help you two.” Kate pouts with a nervous smile.

“It’s all good Kate. It’s these two jackasses that are on my shit list.” Rachel sets down the large presents joining the others, with Audrey doing the same right behind her.

“You know you love us.” Chloe winks with her fake puppy face. The gorgeous blonde responds with a swift smack. “Owww! Domestic violence!” The other Rachel sits down beside Chloe despite the bantering, along with Audrey.

Rachel looks on with a coveting gaze at the group from a cold distance that lies outside the warm glow that radiates from them. _It’s not fair. I saved you all._

Seeing all the joy in the girls sends a twisting betraying blade into Rachel’s heart. She grinds her teeth, yanking at her hair. _I did all of this for you. And Kate you lied. You said you were going to be there with me._ She crumbles down to her knees, panting heavily. “But I know. You’re just waiting for me go, right?” Her fingers slide her way towards her neck, sensing the existing scratch on it already. She traces the groove of it, digging her nail deeper this time, pull it down and across her neck as hard as she can. Feeling the stinging throb and the moisture of the blood. There isn’t enough blood to pour out of it, appearing like a crimson streak over her neck. 

She flutters her eyes closed. _I don’t know what I was thinking. To think coming into to this timeline would be a peaceful resolute conclusion to my life. Instead, it is splitting my mind about everything…_

“Rachel…” Nathan appears right beside her. He is wearing a red-orange jacket with dark pants with an empty stare out in the darkness. Even though he called her name, he seems oblivious judging from his gaze.

“Nathan?” Her eyebrows twitch at the sight of him.

He doesn’t respond, still with a fixed aimless look into the abyss. He looks even more detached with reality than Rachel is, “I’m sorry…” He sobs softly through his quivering throat. “I’m sorry… everyone. I didn’t mean to. They are both right. I can never do anything without fucking up.” He clenches his fist, digging his nails into the flesh of his palm until it glows with a decaying white, “This will be over soon. My only wish is I didn’t have to bring anyone else down with me. I’m sorry...”

 _Shit Nathan…_ Rachel stares on with pity, almost wanting to hold out her arm to allow him to fall into her comforting embrace. Instead, he slowly fades away into the darkness along with the other girls as well. A tall shape stands silently in the distant in the background with a brooding presence. She notes the cylindrical shape, realizing it is the lighthouse of Arcadia Bay. 

She makes a few strides towards it but halts in her track. The road ends with a cliff into pure darkness. She can hear the howling cries of the wind that crawls out from the deep chasm. _I could... end it quick._ Her eyes look down, slowly settling with the thought that this abyss will be her new home. A shuffle of footsteps appears right beside her, drawing her attention. It’s Chloe, but with shorter blonde hair. She also looks a bit younger, her ocean-blue eyes is surrounded with tears and redness. Chloe, also inches her way close to the edge, as her hair hovers into the air from the bitter whispers of the wind. Her facial expression mirrors almost every twisted and ill thoughts that are running through Rachel’s mind. Chloe holding her arms together, trying to seek some comfort in her soul as the last thread of hope leaves her body.

Even though everything seems at a loss with Rachel, just seeing Chloe and the deathly gaze in her beautiful blue eyes, almost curbs these dark feelings. _What… really happened to her back then?_ “Chloe…” Rachel cries out to her.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Prescott Dormitory - Room 224

#### March 21th, 2013 6:43 AM

Rachel jerks violently as her body was at a slant position on the bed. She shoves her leg with force against the peaceful sleeping church girl knocking her away. 

“Yooowww…” Kate cries and hangs onto the edge of the bed with her tiny fingers in a fruitless attempt, before slipping off and crashing into the ground. Her blood still rushing in her body, she pulls herself up quickly resting her chin on the edge of the bed.

The nightmare stricken girl is muttering incoherent words in her dreadful slumber. Beads of sweat swerve its way down her skin, dousing her shirt. A short burst of confidence takes over her body as Kate hops onto the bed, and tug on Rachel’s shoulder, shaking it to wake her up. “Rachel! You’re having a nightmare! I’m right here!” The poor blonde stops squirming, as the rising intensity shoots her right out of her sleep. “It’s me, Kate. You know who I am, right?” She needs the confirmation that Rachel is still here in this timeline, and didn’t slip back somehow in her sleep.

The rest of her body is spotted with sweat, in contrast with her dry eyes. Rachel squeezes her eyes closed tightly, rewetting it. “Kate…” 

Kate’s eyebrows raise in joy and relief. She reaffirms softly, “I’m here…” Sensing the night sweats on her, “One second…” She gently rolls out of the bed, unzipping the outer pouch of her backpack, pulling out a bottled water. She twists off the cap and handing it to the dehydrated girl.

The thirst kicks into her throat demanding for water. “Thank you.” She takes several gulps emptying more than half of it, following with a satisfying sigh.

“You’re welcome.” Kate looks at the satisfied girl, giving a gentle pat on her soaked shoulder. “Do you remember your nightmare?”

Her voice is soft and tense, “Yeah…” 

“What is it?”

“I saw my future.”

Kate settles her body back onto the bed, shuffling closer, “What did you see?”

“I’m not really sure. I was at that dark place again. I saw Chloe and Max from my timeline in it. They were playing video games together, without me.” Rachel dips her head down swirling the remaining liquid in the bottle. “And then I saw all of you guys. All alive and well. You, Max, Chloe, Rachel, even Audrey. Looks like Rachel did end up adopting Audrey or something. You guys were all opening Christmas presents.”

“Rachel? Like...” Kate’s voice trails off, stopping herself before saying anything wrong. “...How do you know?”

“I was watching you guys from my own body. Like a ghost.”

“No…” Kate shakes her head, “These are just nightmares. It’s not going to be like this.”

Rachel looks down at the bottle of water in her hand, closing her eyes. _I don’t even know what it is. I don’t know if it is a product of my ill thoughts or perhaps something about my powers I can put myself outside of time. Either way, it feels very real. And Chloe… I want to know what happened to her…_ “Kate…” She takes notice of the faint early morning light slowly creeping through the windows. “I just need to shake this off for now. Take my mind off it.” _There’s no point in moping about it. It just going to bring Kate down._

Kate wets her lips, nodding in agreement. “I don’t ever want you to ever feel you’re all alone. It pains me so much that someone that is so amazing and selfless to be like this. I’ll do whatever I can to make you happy.” A familiar smile emerges out of her face reflecting the light from the ivory-white dawn, “And no, it isn’t because it is your final moments. No way that’s true. But because it is going to be a new hopeful beginning for you. You’re not going to keep falling anymore. I’m picking you back up on your feet. We all are.”

Rachel bites the inside of her bottom lip, covering her smile with the bottle in her hand for a moment. She adjusts her sweaty body and leans in for a warm and sticky embrace with the cheery girl, “Thanks, Kate. It really means a lot. I’ll keep your words in my heart.”

“Anytime, Rachel.” Kate gently releases the hug, still holding onto the hands. “You ready to start the day? Are you well rested enough? And what is your class schedule…” She interrupts herself and letting out a silent chuckle. “Never mind.”

“Yeah let’s get up and start this day. Where are the showers here?” Rachel gets her body more up in the sitting position, signaling Kate to get off the bed to give some space.

“Turn left in the hallway, then right. It is the only door on the left.” Kate fans out her shirt, feeling the dampness in her body as well. “I think I’ll take a shower, too.”

“I never took a shower in a public place before. They have individual stalls?”

“Yep. They have curtains for privacy.”

Rachel finally gets up from the bed and onto her wobbly feet, who are still partially asleep. She straightens her posture, letting the cool air soothe her aching and sweaty body. “Let’s go hit the showers. Thanks again for being here Kate. It really means a lot.”

“No problem.” Kate crouches down, digging through her backpack for her shower bag and a towel. “Alright, how should we do this? Might be weird if we both come out the door at the same time?”

“Let me grab my showers stuff.” She scans around the room, as the disorientation of the room seeps back into her head. “Shit… I have no idea where it is.”

“I’ll help you look.” Kate tosses her towel and shower bag on the couch and begins aiding in the hunt, starting with the drawers of the nightstand right next to the bed. “Maybe it is one of these drawers…” She slides it out, glancing inside it then quickly shoves it back closed, with wide eyes.

“What is it?” Rachel is alerted to the loud sound.

Kate squeaks, “Nothing…” She takes a quick breath, and in a singing voice, ”There’s-nothing-at-alllllll” Her voice stretches into a long dramatic and playful vibrato.

Rachel smiles at the quirky and goofy church girl, gently pinching her round cheeks and sitting right down beside her. She opens the drawer, finding a magazine with a huge yellow text that says ‘Busty Blonde Bombshells’. “Oh dear…” A flush of embarrassment blankets her face. She pushes out awkwardly out of her throat, “Damn, I’m very embarrassed. I’m sorry you had to find this.”

“No, it’s okay. I mean in a way, it isn’t yours. But! Not like it is a problem to begin with!” Kate grins impishly, “I shouldn’t act like a total child anyways.”

Rachel pulls out the magazine for a closer look at it, “No, I understand.” She flips a few pages, centering on a beautiful blonde woman in a chignon hairstyle, wearing a white blouse that is unbuttoned partially, in a gray pencil skirt and black leg stockings. The woman also has very curvy hips and thighs. Her white with black lace trim bra can’t even keep her massive cleavage from spilling out. Rachel becomes mesmerized at woman’s chest and gorgeous body as her warm breaths hum out of her mouth.

Kate leans over, to peek at what Rachel is drooling at, with her face immediately lighting up, “H-H-H-hhow is that even possible?!?” Her stammering becomes to a frustrated but cute cry, observing the huge curves on the woman's chest that defies anything she has seen before. She clears her throat, “I shouldn’t joke at other people’s body, though.”

“They’re like the size of my head.” Rachel caresses her breasts through her shirt, feeling the difference in size between hers and the woman's on the magazine. “But not going to lie, she’s super hot.”

“Yeah, she is.”

Suddenly feeling the urge to test her own sense of humor against this conservative but open-minded girl, Rachel finally teases, “Kate… there’s no shower limit in these dorms, right? I was supposed to get laid last night by Mark, and my hormones are going off the charts. I could blow off some steam this morning. I may need some extra time if you know what I mean.” Rachel winks, letting out a cheeky snicker.

“No, there’s no…” Kate lets out a delayed and nervous laughter. “There’s no limit. So you can take as long as you want.”

“Well…” Rachel rolls her eyes with a smirk, “I’m pretty quick if I get a good rhythm and creative with my mind.” Kate’s puffy cheeks flush up in embarrassment, baring her teeth. “Thinking if I should rub one off thinking about Mark, or these ‘Busty Blonde Bombshells’.

Kate’s face lights up in an appalled but frisky expression. “Hmph!” She snatches the magazine, then holds it firmly in front of Rachel’s face, with a pouty look. “Busty Blonde Bombshell all the way!” She holds it there for a short moment like it is on display. Kate, then takes the magazine and gives a quick and curious browse, finding that the women do eventually strip down completely naked. This shocking revelation causes a sharp yelp to escape from the dorky conservative girl, almost dropping the magazine. She fumbles with it, then returning back to a steady hold of the magazine, with a sunny smile on her face.

Rachel grins at her, “You’re so adorable, Kate. Holy hell…” She lets out a sigh. _I’m going to miss her so much when I go back to my timeline._

Still smiling with the magazine pressing against her chin, “Rachel, I love seeing you smile. You deserve it.”

Rachel chuckles and takes the magazine from Kate. She looks at the cover, seeing that someone drew something on it already. “Oh wow, didn’t notice there’s an initial ‘C’ and ‘R’ with a heart in it.” She states her observation to Kate. “Oh, that’s Chloe heart Rachel, huh? Maybe this is Chloe’s magazine?”

“It is possible…” Kate flutters her eyebrows in a devious and sly manner.

Rachel chuckles, standing back up on her legs, and putting the magazine on her desk. On the desk, she spots the transparent plastic shower bag with body wash and shampoo bottle in it. “Oh… it’s just right there. Alright, let’s hit the showers.”

Kate stands back up on her feet, “Sure, let me get my stuff.”

* * *

Rachel opens the door to the hallway, sticking her head out. The light morning chattering as Blackwell students very slowly showing signs of life. Down the hallway are a few unrecognizable girls that Rachel didn’t give too much eye contact to avoid attention.

“Should be good as ever.” She whispers back, taking a step out into the hallway when a girl turns her attention towards her.

“Hey, Rachel! Good morning!” A geeky but beautiful looking girl with mid length blonde with a single pigtail hairstyle that rests over her right collarbone, with large but trendy black-rimmed glasses. She is wearing a gray t-shirt with short frill sleeves and black pants. She is carrying a messenger bag over her shoulder.

“Wassup…” Rachel forces out enthusiasm through her confused mind, as she doesn’t know who she is. “...you...”

“Still waking up, huh?” The girl grins with a sly smile, observing her warm and sweaty body. “Am I intruding you with something?” She hums with curiosity and swaying her head at the direction of Rachel’s room.

Rachel glances back then she returns with eye contact. “Oh no… it’s not that.” She laughs, “Just had a rough sleep. But I’m good now.”

The girl nods, “That’s good you’re feeling better. I didn’t think I would bump into you today. I was stopping by to meet up with Hadley for breakfast grub, but seems like she’s still sleeping.” She points at the door that is the next one over from Rachel’s. “I thought you were going to ditch class since you were hanging out late with some friends, last night.”

“Oh…” Rachel tries to soften her bewildered expression, as she has to lie about what she did last night. “...No, I felt tired so I went home.”

“Gotcha. Did you want to hang out tonight? I’m going to that theatrical play I was talking to you about. But I’m just going by myself.” The girl pouts her plump lips.

“Sorry, I’m good. Thanks, though.” Rachel blinks at this girl. _Damn she’s cute and seems like a good friend._

The smile returns back to the other girl’s face, as it goes silent between them for a moment. “Are you going to the Vortex Club next Thursday? DJ Irish Bacon?” She holds in her laugh at the stupid name of the artist.

“Yeah, I think so.” Rachel nods unnaturally, vaguely recalling about an upcoming Vortex Club party from Max. “Get wasted and listen to some button pusher.”

“I see…” The other girl bursts out a soft laugh. “So…” She tries to continue the conversation, 

“...who were you hanging out with last night?”

“Just a friend...”

“Me!” Kate’s cheerful voice comes from behind, as she opens the door and steps out past Rachel. “I’m Kate Marsh. I’m a friend of Rachel’s. I’m joining Blackwell Academy this fall, but I wanted a tour myself. So I crashed at her place.”

“Oh…” The girl looks at her in surprise. “Hi, Kate. I’m Megan Weaver. Nice to meet you. Would you like to see this play we were talking about?” She asks in a playful manner, extending the invitation.

“What play is it?”

“Oh, it’s a weird play called ‘Three Busy Debras’. It isn’t popular, as it seems like they’re trying a test tour to gauge interests in it. But it is about these three twisted girls that delve into dark topics like incest, necrophilia, kidnapping and so on.” Kate cringes at the topics, baring her teeth to show her disapproval. Megan quickly reacts to it, waving her hands up in the air. “Blah blah blah... I'm so sorry, didn’t want to mention such explicit topics. I think I’m probably going to regret watching it, too. Go have fun with your buddy.” She winks at Kate, “Rachel can be a jerk sometimes.” 

“Shut up… Megan.” Rachel forces out a joking smile.

“Love you, Rach.” She takes a few steps towards the direction of the stairwell. “Hadley is still sleeping, so I’ll catch her later. I’m going to go back to my room.” Megan shrugs her shoulders, “I may go ask Nathan later, to see if he is interested. He likes these dark kinds of stuff. I’ll catch you guys later. Nice to meet you, Kate.” She waves goodbye to the two girls.

“Bye Megan,” the both girls wave back at her.

“She’s a cutie. Do you know her?” Rachel whispers to Kate.

“I don’t think so.”

Rachel glances at Megan who pushes the heavy double door, going upstairs on the stairwell. She redirects her attention at the shower bag in her hand, tossing it up in the air and catching it. “Okay, let’s hit the showers, then.”

* * *

The early sun glides skyward to gradually cast away the darkness in the room the two girls are getting readied in. They both change into their daily wear with an unspoken truce to not peer at each other half naked bodies while changing.

Kate is wearing a light blue shirt with her usual dark blue cardigan over it. She is wearing black short skirt leggings and topping it off with her gold cross necklace.

Rachel is wearing a white sleeveless shirt, with a grayscale design of a Chinese-style dragon on it. She has a red-black pattern plaid shirt that is unbuttoned over it. She also has a black and brown colored beaded spiritual bracelets on her left wrist.

“Is there a bus that takes you out to the lighthouse?” She is sitting on a chair in front of the mirror, applying her makeup.

Kate is already finished with getting readied as she wears minimal makeup and she’s leaving her hair down straight, instead of her usual hair bun. She lies down on the couch, patiently waiting for Rachel to finish up. “Yeah, there’s a stop that drops you off at the beach by the lighthouse. The same bus also takes you close to Cedar street which is where Chloe lives. You want to go to the lighthouse first?”

“Yeah, in my dream… I think Chloe was about to take her own life by the lighthouse.” She gently traces along the edges of her eyes with the eyeliner pencil. “I just want to see if my time powers can revisit that incident.” She blinks her eyes, rewetting them. “I know Chloe had a rough past, and I want to observe and learn about it for myself.”

Kate’s eyes shift to the side nervously, “I see.”

“I’ll send a text to Chloe.” She sets the pencil down on top of the dresser reaching for her phone.

> **Rachel Amber:** Chloe… change of plans. I’m going to take a bus to meet up at your place. Don’t pick me up. I’ll see you in a little bit! (7:16 AM)

Kate gives a cautious peek at Rachel, as she also sends her own text message on her phone.

#### Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber

#### Seattle: Linden Avenue Bus Stop 

#### March 21th, 2013 7:17 AM

The school bus pulls up to the corner of the busy residential street, a loud _whooshing_ sound as the door panel slides open for the line of waiting students. Max walks up the steps, showing the bus pass to the driver. He gives the nod for her to proceed.

There are many seats already taken, as the brunette shuffles her way through the narrow aisle of the bus. She sees Carson, her supposed-to-be prom date that ditched her in the previous timeline for another girl. He is sitting with his buddy at the back half of the bus.

“Hey, Max,” Carson shouts at her, waving his hand for her to sit in the vacant seat next to him. His buddy snickers silently, as Carson maintains a straight face.

Max doesn’t reply back but unwillingly sits down in the vacant seat across from him.

Carson leans forward, trying to penetrate the reserved girl with his enchanting eyes, “You look riveting today. I cannot wait for us to destroy the dance floor.”

She knows she has to maintain the flow of events as much as possible, but at the same time she isn’t quite having the desire to do that. Max presses her lips tightly, staring with a blank gaze at the back of the bus seat in front of her. In her peripheral vision, she can see Carson and his buddy whispering among each other. _Back then, I was blinded by the joy of feeling wanted. But I should have known better with this asshole…_

“Is there something wrong?” He asks in a genuine tone.

Max loosely shrugs her shoulder not answering him back and directing her attention to her phone. She sees that she has a message from Facebook from a ‘Non Facebook Friend’.

She opens up the notification.

> **Kate Beverly Marsh:** Max, this is Kate. Rachel brought me back as well. She isn’t doing that well though, as she is suffering from the identity of this Rachel as well as it took a lot of her powers to bring me back here. She really cares about all of us. She is going to be okay for now, as I’m going to be by her side. But I fear what may happen in the future, and I think it is best for you to be here if it is possible. Please, Max. Love you!

Max’s eyes widen opened, covering her mouth from the sudden shock that sends an electricity up her spine to straighten her posture. _Rachel… brought Kate back? And she didn’t tell me?_ Her eyes are already welling up from the influx of emotions, smothering her mind.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” Carson’s voice tone lights up with rudeness as there are more background snickers accompanying with it. He notes the tears in Max’s eyes already. “Ohh… why are you crying?” He gives some swift glances around with his smug look.

Max brushes her tears with the back of her hand as she stands back up on her feet. “Oh, I just got invited to prom by someone I love.” She lets out a hearty laugh, as her face blooms with life, that even Carson is stunned by this. Max lets out a relaxing sigh, as her face immediately becomes serious. She glowers at him, “Did you really think I would go to prom with someone as trashy as you?” She scoffs with her own smug look, “Go eat shit, Carson.” She leans to the side, looking at the follower that is sitting right beside him. “Can you also tell your buddy I can see his boner from here while he’s jerking you off? It’s fucking pathetic.” She instantly turns around making her way to the front of the bus, like a fresh new path leading to hope. The bus hasn’t taken off from the stop yet, as she taps on the driver’s shoulder. “Can you please open the door?”

The driver turns the knob, opening the bus door, “You’re leaving? You’re going to be late to school.”

“It’s fine.” She gives out a cheery smile, “Thank you.” She exits out of the bus and promptly begins running as fast as she can back home. No longer is she going to live in a shadow of her former self. _I feel... wanted and loved..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note : Thanks again for following this story. This chapter has some challenges as it does kind of go all over the places with a few points to hit.
> 
> First thing, is Kate meeting Rachel for the first time. Going into this new timeline, Kate is already making some bold and determined moves by sneaking out of her family with a backpack to make contact with Rachel at Blackwell Academy. Despite being complete strangers, Kate would extend her kindness without much problem. She is always a joy to write in my story. I always took her character to be sweet and fairly open-minded from the game. Small hints are that she has a wine bottle stashed in her room, and she was willing to go to a Vortex Club, either from curiosity or social pressure. But that's just my interpretation of it... I did make her character dorkier as well as more bold being exposed to the time powers. Typical fandom alteration of the character. :P
> 
> The dark nightmare scene is more of a reminder of Rachel's twisted mind clashing at herself with her own thoughts. Doesn't matter if it is a dream or some augmented time travel powers.
> 
> And of course, the end where Kate communicates to Max to come down to Arcadia Bay. :) Should be a little more excitement on Max's POV. I know this was kind of a build-up chapter and transitional chapter. Hopefully, it wasn't too boring. Anyways, leave a comment if you like. Thanks again for keeping up with the story. It means a lot!
> 
> And the typo on text message "jeah :D" is a nod to my good friend/LiS community member Harpu.
> 
> 12/1: This holiday season I'm kind of busy with a few projects. So expect just one chapter this month.


	23. Painting Scarlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy theme, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber

#### Seattle: Caulfield Residence

#### March 21th, 2013 7:23 AM

The sound of keys rattling its way into the lock, finally twisting into a loud click. The young hipster springs the door opened, stepping in and dodges it as it narrowly misses her body by a few inches, before slamming shut behind her. She shreds off her shoes, and pace for the stairs without any words, with some hope that her mother may not be already alerted to her booming entry.

“Honey?” Vanessa sticks her head out from the kitchen, seeing only a glimpse of a blurry figure of the sneaky photographer. She pouts her lips, “Oh no. Did you forget something? I can give you a ride to school.”

The loud pattering of the footsteps against the laminate flooring, as the high school girl’s lungs are still fuming from the mad dash she just did from the bus stop. She barely can articulate in between her huffing breaths, “That’s fine. I’m going to skip school.”

The mother is wearing her white polo shirt with black leggings, as her lower jaw opens to a distraught. Her head glides upward as if she is targeting her daughter’s shadow through the walls. “Max? Maxine Caulfield, you come down right this moment.” She gives a single petty stomp that meekly echoes from the tile flooring of the kitchen. However, this expression quickly washes away to a mild one, “Honey?” She follows up the stairs quickly, entering her daughter’s room, whose door is left wide opened. Her eyes widen at the sight of Max, “Honey! Why in the world are you packing?”

“Mom, aren’t you going golfing?” The hipster is still huffing and puffing, but her form remains sturdy as she pulls several shirts from the hangers in her closet, collecting them in her other arm. On the floor, is her olive-colored luggage bag that is unzipped and opened up.

“Yeah, I was going to go early and whack some balls at the driving range, just to confirm how terrible I really am before our tee time.” Vanessa gets in a relaxed stance as if she is gripping an invisible golf club, and takes a full swing, freezing at the end of the swing. Her head recenters at her daughter, “Honey, what are you doing?”

Max turns around, releasing the clothes in her arm onto the floor by the luggage bag. She kneels down and begins folding them. “Mom, I’m taking a train to Arcadia Bay.”

“Wait… right now?” The mother eases from her mock golf stance, crossing her arms and glaring down at her own daughter. “And how are you going to get there, Missy?! You are ditching school right in front of your own mother?! Don’t you have prom coming up?” She points at the pink dress that is covered by the transparent bag, still hanging in the closet.

“I’m not going to prom.” She replies quickly without any eye contact.

Vanessa blinks slowly, “Wait… what?” 

“Carson lied. He never wanted to go with me. He already going with Jackie.” That is the name of the popular girl that he ended up going with in the previous timeline. “He did it so he can have a good laugh with his buddies.”

Vanessa bites her bottom lip, as she puffs out fuming air from her nose. “...Give me Carson’s number. I’m going to have a chat with him... right now!” She points her index finger at the floor, baring her furious teeth.

Max freezes for a moment as there’s only one more shirt to fold in her pile. Despite the bold move she did earlier at the bus against Carson, the painful memories of her being left out at prom still churns the butterflies in her stomach, even if it is a previous timeline. It isn’t something you can ever forget. “Mom, stop it. You’re starting to make me cry.” She resumes folding that last piece to take her mind off it, with her shaky throat.

“I-I-I…” Vanessa stammers, as her tongue becomes lost from her abrupt frustration. She squeezes her eyes closed, clenching her trembling fists and digging her nails deep into her skin. Her voice cracks under her emotions, “No one picks on my baby! I can’t believe anyone would even do that to someone. And with someone as beautiful and sweet like you. I’m so… furious right now!”

Deflecting the screaming emotions from her mother and remaining composure, Max replies calmly, “Mom, I’m going to meet up with Chloe.”

The heat in Vanessa’s eyes extinguish at the unexpected comment from her daughter, “Chloe? Are you two talking now?”

Max begins putting the stacks of folded clothes into the luggage. “I’m meeting her and two other friends, Kate and Rachel.”

“Who…” Vanessa’s voice fades to a short pause. “Honey, please tell me. And I won’t get mad at you if you tell me the truth because Momma Bear needs to know.” She reaches out, grasping her daughter’s sides. “Are you doing drugs?”

Max rolls her eyes, totally unamused with the shift in direction of the conversation, “Mom...”

“Okay okay, Momma Bear is stupid. Nevermind what I said.” Vanessa raises both of her hands, in the defeat of her pathetic inquisitorial attempt. “So tell me about the girls, I never even heard those names before. Also, I didn’t even know you’re talking to Chloe, again.”

“The people are friends with Chloe. I know it sounds a little crazy, Mom. But I had a sudden revelation that I don’t want to let go someone that’s important to me.” She looks up blankly to the ceiling, grasping at her arm, “Even if I’m going to Blackwell Academy this fall, I want to rekindle my relationship with Chloe as soon as possible.” She looks at her mother with her glowing blue eyes, “...Before it is ever too late, you know?”

“I understand, honey. But maybe your emotions getting to you right now to do something so… sudden…”

“Mom, my mind is clear. I know what I want. And I want to see Chloe.” She wets her lips, “You ever look back at yourself and have regrets on opportunities you missed? And one day, you have the sudden confidence to stand up to make that change for yourself?”

Vanessa nods softly, “Well… I certainly did, because I, often went against my family’s wishes. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t. But I never had regrets.” Her mother had a somewhat rebellious and independent past with her family, always wanted to spread her wings against them. Vanessa rubs her daughter’s arm through her hoodie jacket, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not doing anything bad. Other than skipping a few classes. But…” Her voice is stern, “... _this_ is very important to me.”

Her mother blinks rapidly, “Your schoolwork... And your father is not going to like this.”

“I got accepted to Blackwell, already.” Max winks, “And I’m a grown adult.”

“Nope. You’re not eighteen yet. You’re still my baby.” Vanessa pulls her daughter and cradles her head into her chest, “Then again, even if you’re forty you will always be my baby.”

The daughter blushes from the love, “Please, Mom. I’ll be safe, and you can trust me on this.”

“I didn’t fail you as a mother, did I?”

“No! I love you so much, Mom. You’re the best!” She relaxes her head, letting her mother’s hands carry it. _If it weren’t for Mom to guide me to Kate..._

Vanessa dips her face down to kiss her daughter on the cheek, “Alright… you want me to give you a moment to pack? I can give you a ride to the train station…”

“Mom, your tee time...”

“Nope, golf isn’t important. Not after all of this.”

Max dips her head down, a little. “Mom, I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be.” She rubs her daughter’s back to comfort her. “I’m going to drive you to King Street Station. The train ride should be less than four hours, and there’s probably one leaving a little after 8.” She gently lifts her daughter’s head from her body, so she can sit back up. “You can make it to Portland around noon. And take a bus from there.” She pinches Max’s cheek, “Plus, I want to see you off. And... I’ll give you some money.”

Max gives a cheery smile, “Thanks, Mommy.”

“As long you keep in touch with me, or I’m going to drive down there myself and pull you back to Seattle by the ear in front of Chloe.” She playfully snarks at her daughter.

 _Uh...no driving… for now._ “That’s fine.” Max nods her head, “Mom, I’m going to give you Kate’s and Rachel’s information later.” She squeezes her eyes closed. _They’re not even my Facebook Friends, this is going to be awkward._ Her eyes open up, “Uh… do text them if you can’t get ahold of me. They’re waiting for me, okay?” _Just in case, anything happens to me like an accident. Never can be sure what changes._ “And if you can’t get ahold of them, call Chloe or Joyce.”

Vanessa reaches in and nuzzles her daughter’s face, “My little raccoon is growing up…”

“Mom…” Max laughs at the tickling sensation on her skin, “I’ll be quick with my packing.” She releases her mother’s grasp and standing back boldly on her feet. Resuming on her objective she begins packing the miscellaneous items she will need in her travel like her cell phone chargers and bathroom accessories.

Vanessa watches at her daughter who is rummaging through her own room. Her lips are pursed deep into thoughts, pondering about this sudden bold personality, but the breakdown from last night at the mall’s parking lot. She, turns over at the closet, looking at the beautiful pink dress that hangs proudly. Her lips lower at the sight of the dress, as distressing thoughts and questions become flooding back into her head. Thinking about how much good humor bickering and teasing she did with her daughter while shopping for it, and what is going to happen leading up to this important special day, that will never come for her daughter.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Prescott Dormitory - Cafeteria

#### March 21th, 2013 7:47 AM

The cafeteria for the dormitory is no splendor of design. It is located on the fifth floor, so there is no high ceiling for students to drift off their imaginative minds to, so many choose to hang out outside for a more invigorating setting. The line of refrigerators of beverages hum with groaning intensity, with its fluorescent lightings reflect the lifeless glow onto the tired students with blank zombie expression, as they shift between the food stations, holding out their trays to get plopped with uninspiring cafeteria food.

The hunger of the two girls easily eclipses the dreary-looking food, as they both rotate around the food stations with their tray. They approach a counter with a larger woman with the typical chef attire, “Good day Miss Amber! You want the usual?” She gives a friendly wink, pointing with her pen.

“Uh…” Rachel shifts her eyes side-to-side, “...what would that be?”

The lady sticks her tongue out in a cheeky manner, “Banana Acai Bowl with soy milk?”

She scoffs softly, “Oh…” Holding back the slight grimace on her face, “I’m good for today… but I’ll take two over-easy eggs, hash browns, and slices of bacon.”

The lady’s eyebrows arch in awe with the request, as she promptly scribbles the request on the notepad, before ripping it out and placing the order through the window behind her. “Craving for a heartier breakfast?” She gives hefty laughter that resonates through her large body.

“Yeah…” Rachel smiles with shame, looking down at her slim belly that she is going to fill up with grease and oil. _Well… being a fatty still carries over into this timeline._

 

* * *

The two blonde girls get seated down at a vacant bench off to the side in the cafeteria. Not like finding an available one would be a difficult to do, as there are a number of vacant tables in the early morning. Most of the students pick up a snack on-the-go as they are usually under time constraints for their morning classes. 

Kate stabs her scrambled eggs, prying a piece from the whole with her plastic fork. 

She brings up the fork close, examining at the yellow bubble texture of it before tossing it into her mouth. Her eyebrows raise in her discovery, “Mmm… eggs still going to taste like plastic six months later.” With her other hand, she begins steeping her green tea bag in the mug of boiling water.

Rachel braces her belly through the white shirt, “I’m going to fatten this body up, Kate.” Her mouth widens at the sight of the fruit salad that is part of Kate’s breakfast platter. “I didn’t know you can get fruits instead… and that watermelon looking right at me.” She eyes the juicy red plump piece that is off to the side from the rest.

“Hmm?” Kate looks down, still chewing the egg in her mouth. She mumbles through her munching, “Oh… would you like-”

“Yoink!” Rachel swipes it with her fingers before Kate can even finish her offering, and tosses cleanly into her mouth following with an exaggerated moan of enjoyment. “Yum… I’m fat.”

Kate chuckles with the harmless act, her leg gently brushes against Rachel’s underneath the table as her feeble attempt at retaliation. Focusing on the drink in her hand, she rests the string of the tea bag on the edge of the cup, taking a small cautious sip of the boiling tea. “I’m sure you look beautiful no matter what size you are.”

The warm compliment from the pure girl becomes an invitation for an impish act with its wording. Rachel wets her lips, arching her back to protrude her curves out of her white shirt. “Now, you’re looking at my size…” Kate cranes her head with widening eyes, catching a glimpse, then quickly looks away almost choking on the minuscule amount of tea in her mouth. Rachel relaxes her posture, reaching to gently tug the sleeve of the poor girl’s cardigan. “I’m being stupid. Sorry, are you okay?”

Kate balls her fist over her lips, clearing her throat loudly. Her face glows from both the minor choking and embarrassment. She squeaks out, “I’m good.”

Rachel contains her own laughter, observing the flushed church girl’s straight hair. “You have great hair. I also really do like it in your big bun.”

The poor girl finally recovers, “You like my bun? Yeah, I’ll put it up, later.”

“I’ll hold back on the joke,” Rachel sticks her tongue out of her grin.

“Amber…” A stern girl’s voice calls from behind, prying Rachel to turn around.

She tilts her head at the tall pixie-haircut girl, that is holding a few thin binders in her hands. “Chase?”

The tall girl presses her lips thin, pursing to a smug look towards Kate who is looking back with relaxed eyes, “And, who do we have here?”

Rachel looks at the sweet angel then back at the bitch, “Oh... this is Kate Marsh. She’s a great friend of mines.”

“Oh…” Victoria’s eyebrows quiver as her eyes undulate, “Great friend? Never seen her before.” She rolls her eyes, shifting her attention back to Rachel. “Anyways, I’m obviously only here for a reason. May I speak with you?” She wets her lips, her tone becoming close to a nag, “Alone…”

Rachel takes another quick glance to Kate, giving an inaudible and subtle request for permission, then back to Victoria. “Sure…” She gets up from the bench, following the tall girl to the other side of the cafeteria. Rachel tucks her hands deep into her pockets, “What’s up?” 

“I know you hang out with a bunch of losers and dweebs but…” Victoria tips her nose in the direction of Kate. “But eating breakfast with them? Pfft… Are you also going to paint her nails in her dorm, later?…”

“Chill, Victoria. She’s a cool person.”

“Now, I’m seriously questioning your definition of _cool_...” Victoria snorts in disapproval, crossing her arms, and nuzzling her nose up in the air, “Fine, whatever. Anyways…” She returns her eye contact, “I like to talk to you about your text message. Did you really mean all that?”

Rachel shrugs absently, “I wouldn’t have texted it if I didn’t mean it.”

Her head bobs laterally, and body fidgeting, “Okay, Rachel…” Her mouth opens with silent hesitation for a moment, “And I’m sorry about the things I’ve said…” Her body hunches to the side, “I guess…”

“It’s okay. I know I deserve some of it at least.” Rachel rolls her eyes away nervously, in need to change the subject into something more intriguing yet productive. “This may sound a little weird. But I’m a little concerned for Nathan.”

Victoria’s eyes open in agreement, “You noticed it too?”

 _Hmm… so something is off about Nathan? I need to pry more._ Rachel crosses her arms, trying to carry on the conversation, “Yeah, I mean I know he has some personal issues that he is dealing with. But something feels way off.”

“He came back with a stock on the good stuffs for next week’s party. But when I went into his room this morning, he looks so… out there.” Victoria shivers with her arms tucked into her armpits. “I don’t know if he’s trying some of the stuff he got, but I seriously got creeped out.”

“Yeah, that is odd...” Rachel’s eyebrows lower in her pondering thoughts. She tiptoes, rocking her body back and forth, “Keep an eye on him, Victoria. And let me know if you need help with anything.”

Her voice raises, “Look, I’m not his mother. So I’m not going to be spying on him the entire time.” She settles back down as her worries overwhelm her feigned bitch attitude, “But… will do, Rach.”

Rachel raises her hand up, signaling for a responding high-five. Instead, Victoria just glares back with a disgusted look. _Probably should have guessed she isn’t a high five-type person._ Rachel hunches her posture, sliding her awkward hand back down from shame, “So… are you hanging out with Nathan later tonight?”

“No, I asked if he wanted to chill later today, but he declined.”

Rachel nods, “He wanted some practice shots with the camera with me this morning. But I turned him down.”

“He wanted to practice with his camera with you?” Victoria scoffs, rolling her eyes, “I swear… that horny dog…” She scans up and down Rachel’s body, stopping for a moment to stare at it. Her mind drifts away to a different topic, “Well looks like your pathetic buddy, Megan asked him to go to some stupid play tonight. But I was pleased that he turned that loser down. I bet she practically begged him to go, and he said _‘fuck off’_.”

 _What a bitch… but I guess I don’t really know Megan that well._ “Huh…” Rachel blinks her eyes nonchalantly and halting her rocking, “Alright, Victoria. I better head back to my friend and put some food in my belly.” She shrugs her shoulder in the direction of the peaceful angel that is minding her own business and munching on her breakfast. “I’ll see you around.”

Victoria nods and waves of her hand, “Au revoir.”

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Blackwell Academy - Main Campus

#### March 21th, 2013 8:19 AM

The school ground begins winding up under the clear sky with the golden sun rising gallantly in the Oregon sky. The light chattering of the students fills the scene with growing vibrant life, as the two girls make for beeline straight through the main campus, towards the bus stop. 

Mark Jefferson appears around the corner, walking straight towards them. He waves at her, “Hey Rachel!” Kate continues walking casually, distancing herself as if she isn’t at all affiliated, while Rachel freezes in her track.

 _Shit, it’s him…_ “Oh hey… M-Mr. Jefferson.” Rachel stammers with a blush, tousling her own long blonde hair. Her body is paralyzed minus the thumping of her heart to his mesmerizing smile.

Mark’s eyes drift from Rachel and towards the passing by pure looking blonde girl that is walking away from them. He points at her with his thumb, his tongue slightly tied. “Who is she?”

Rachel’s eyes become loss at his lips, just remembering how warm those felt against her neck. Her toes tingle inside her shoes from that memory of last night.

“Rachel?” His eyebrows raise in an astonishing manner at the sight of the dreaming girl, “You look a little out of it.”

“Oh… just spacing out.” Rachel takes a deep breath to curb the craving inside her. She catches up with the conversation, taking a glance to the side, then back at the teacher. “I don’t know. Wasn’t paying attention to her.” _It is best to not let him know anything else about Kate._

“Well…” He brushes his blazer, tucking his hands into his pockets. “You didn’t skip breakfast this time, right? Need some good noshin’ for the mind. Or you’re going to feel out of it during class.” His voice is friendly and charming. Understandably, not at all acknowledging anything about last night, or how unsatisfying it was for him.

Rachel replies calmly, “Yeah, I ate some food. I’m more energized.”

“Good. I was just talking to Megan over there.” He points at the blonde girl who happens to be standing awkwardly with her messenger bag being cradled into her chest about fifteen feet away from them, looking back with her black-rimmed glasses. “She is going to give a shot with that ‘The Three Debras’ play tonight.” He fixes the collar of his maroon buttoned shirt, with a sly smile, “I told her I expect a full write up. But too bad no one else is going.” He brushes his chin, “You’re not going, right?”

“Nah, I’m not.” Rachel pressing her lips thin, observing deeply at the teacher’s face and relishing how great his face also looked when it was pounded in by her fist in last night’s car ride. She exhales sharply, “I have some other plans tonight.”

Mark’s eyes light up, “Oh, studying for physics, huh?” Rachel nods absently. He rolls his shoulders giving a stretch, “I’m sure they’ll come around another time. I may go check them out, then. See you, Rachel.” He waves to the blonde, then turns around to look at the nerdy blonde girl. “And also, see you around, Megan.” He continues on the concrete path back into the campus.

“Bye…” Rachel looks at suave and cool teacher walking away, as her eyes just relax at the sight of his backside. _Get a grip, Rachel. This guy is a total fucker._

“Wipe your drool, Rach.” Megan shuffles her feet closer, observing the relaxed and in awe Rachel. “I see you salivating over there.”

“Shut up. You too!” Rachel playfully jabs at the other dork. “So, he was talking to you? What did he say to you?”

“He just asked me if I was going to the play.” She becomes timider looking, with her hands behind her back nervously. “Unfortunately, I’m going to the 9:30 show. The others were sold out. Ughh, probably a lot of rowdy and sleazebags in that one.” She clears her throat, “I kind of asked if he would go with me. But he said no.” She cringes, baring her teeth. “Still… that’s is weird of me to ask, huh?”

Rachel’s eyes light up but her face is still calm, “Umm…” _Well, at least you’re not sleeping with him like I am._ “Well, he was also interested in going and you wanted some company.” Megan begins whistling a tune with her hands still crossed behind her, rocking up and down. Rachel looks on with an unamused face, “What?”

Megan’s eyebrows shoot upwards all of the sudden with a sparkle in her eyes, “Rachel, you want to go with me?” She takes a full single hop closer, “Pretty please?”

“Sorry, I can’t.” Rachel crosses her arm nervously, trying to deflect the advance, “Nathan won’t go with you?”

Megan pouts, “Nope. He looked kind of creepy. I regret… interrupting whatever he was doing in there.”

 _Just like what Victoria said._ “Oh…” Rachel also pouts her lips in disappointment, as a strain of concern sends into her body about being disconnected from Kate for too long. “So uh… what was he like?”

“I don’t know. He just opened the door, and crawled back to his bed.” Megan shrugs her shoulder, “Then he sat his back against the wall and continued walking TV. He just had the most chill expression, gazing deeply at the television.” She wraps herself, shivering, “Yeah, he creeped me out. I just left the room without saying anything.”

“That’s odd.” Rachel raises her hand, “Sorry, Megan I can’t go tonight…”

“Nevermind, I’m fine… have fun today, Rach.” Her words are quick and dodgy. 

Rachel closes up the distance between them two. “Here…” She leans in giving her a warm hug, patting at Megan’s back, “Let’s chat later, okay? And talk to me about the show.”

Megan nods her head, pressing her chin against Rachel’s shoulder, then releasing the hug. She nods softly, looking deep into the hazel eyes, “Thanks, Rach.” She lets go their hands and turns around to continue walking towards the Blackwell main building.

Rachel sees off this friend that she knows nothing about. _I never heard anything about her, probably just one of many friends of this Rachel, though. Anyways, it is odd Nathan acting weird. But I’ve always heard he was unstable. Maybe I should call him later._ She turns back, walking down the stairs to see Kate texting on her phone with a smile.

Kate lifts her head from the phone, “Sorry, I was hiding.” She tiptoes her body, taking a peek to make sure Jefferson isn’t following them. “It’s just… odd to see him walking around like that. Like he escaped from jail.” Her eyebrows furrow, “And it just brings back terrible memories again of what he did to me.”

Rachel reaches in, also giving her a warm hug, “I know… but that is one of the many changes we’re making now.”

Kate squeaks out her thick throat, “I know…” She takes a step back, leaning her body in the direction of the parking lot. “The bus should be here, soon. Let’s get going.”

“Sure.” Rachel gently presses Kate’s back and they both walk together to the parking lot.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Cliffside

#### March 21th, 2013 9:03 AM

The bus stops right next to a small lot that connects about two-thirds up the trail to the lighthouse. Kate and Rachel are the only ones that walk out of the bus, as the rest of the students are actually going to campus at this time, instead. Both girls walk past the fence that separates the concrete lot from the dirt trail.

Kate breaks the silence between them, continuing the conversation they had on the bus earlier, “So you’re going to look for these… rifts to peek at? And you can revisit an older time?”

“I’m not actually sure how these rifts are created. They seem almost like cookie crumbs left behind or maybe just something I interact subconsciously with my powers.” She holds out her right hand, gripping it in the air as they walk up the trail leading to the top of the hill with the lighthouse.

Kate looks at the towering lighthouse that is approaching them, with the faint sound of crashing waves below them. She looks all around, squinting her eyes against the sunrise, and hoping to somehow see with her own mind’s eyes. But nothing pops up. “What is it like going in them?

Rachel also gazes at the lighthouse, recognizing the size and position matches to her vision in that dark dream. “I travel back in time, but I’m just a ghost in this form. But I can see how things play out.”

The church girl bares her teeth nervously, “Yessh… No secrets are safe from you, huh? Like watching a little show without anyone knowing about it?”

She laughs, “Yeah, it can be voyeuristic.” Kate gulps nervously at the sound of that word, as Rachel winks at her playfully, but quickly resuming back to a stern look. “But I really want to know about this Chloe. She was very important to _this_ Rachel and Max. I also knew her in my timeline. She’s also very sweet.”

Kate crosses her arms, nervously twisting the toes of her white shoes into the grass. “I don’t really know Chloe either. Just seen her from time to time in the past, as well as shortly after she got shot.” She takes a deep inhale to calm herself from that horrible recollection, “I’ll just wait here. She was very special to Max.”

Rachel holds out her hand, as the familiar rift materializes like it did in her own timeline. She steps closer taking a peek at it, seeing the lonesome blonde girl in it. “I think I see one… and my vision is right. I see Chloe standing by the cliff.”

The words send a chill into Kate’s spine, “It is rough to see someone pushed to the edge.” Her eyes widen with caution, “Are you sure you want to look at it? I mean it may… taint your mind a bit.”

“My mind is already tainted,” Rachel replies back without looking, still gazing at the rift in the air. “This is for me, Kate. Thanks though.” 

“Alright. Be safe, okay?” Kate’s voice is distorted as Rachel slowly steps into the rift.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Cliffside

#### March 11th, 2011 6:14 PM

Rachel steps out of the rift, appearing back in the same location she was in before, but now in the past. It has been a while since she has used this power in becoming an astral form in a timeline. The feeling is always full of gloom and desolation in this form, almost like a lost soul searching for their loved ones. Rachel is going to be merely observing the past as a curious spectator with no intention of changing it. She looks at the other blonde girl who is standing at the edge of the cliff. _Chloe…_ Judging from the appearance of Chloe, it is only a couple of years back in time. She has on a red tank top with ripped out jeans, as she is still sporting a punk look.

Chloe gazes all around the edges of the sky tinging with crimson, as the dying sun begins burying itself into the golden-scarlet brooding sea. The howling winds give a persuading sense of freedom in the deathly look of the girl. Her voice carries gently with the breeze, “Dad, it’s beautiful looking, isn’t it? The sun creeping low to the sea like this...” She strikes out a smile, baring her teeth that glimmers with the amber reflection of the sun. “It’s my 17th birthday. You can see your big girl, right? I know you can…”

She looks down at her white fleshy forearm with several scattered dried wounds she has collected from cutting herself in the past. Her eyes getting lost in them like enigmatic markings on her skin. “You’re watching me, I know. Seeing how I am… how big of a disappointment, I have become.” Chloe shakes her head, “I don’t know why. But I still can’t get over that you’re gone. I never will.” 

Her stomach twists sharply inside her, choking up the sorrow into her throat, “I wished somehow I could stop you from leaving that door.” She relaxes her eyes, taking a deep breath, “I should have gone with you that day… so then we can be together.” Her hands slide down her body, resting on top of her belly. “But if I did, Max would have come along with us. And then she would also be…”

Chloe exhales sharply through her sobs, “She’s… a good person. I know you probably have seen me crying for no fucking reasons in the middle of the night… waking up to fucking curse her name. But… she’s my best friend and I do love her, Dad.” She sniffs her nose, “I feel bad for blowing up at her outside that clinic, even though she paid for my fuck up with all of her money. She wanted to give me one of those friendship bracelets that day, and I tossed it right back at her face. No wonder she’s scared to talk to me. I’m just too messed up of a person.” 

She holds up her left forearm as she runs her right index finger along it, tracing along the network of dried up cuts. “Mom has already moved on from you. It’s so fucked up.” Chloe hisses sharply, “She met this loser named David, the same year that you died. And their fucking wedding is coming real soon. She has already forgotten about you, Dad.”

Chloe’s body sways uneasily, almost buckling from her shaky legs, “Also, everyone here has forgotten about me. Mom. Max. Every… fucking… person, I know.” Her feet takes very short steps, inching her way to the edge. “That’s something we both share. My life ended when you died, Dad.” She chuckles through her stream of tears, “I’ll find you, though.”

“Chloe!” A loud voice roars from behind her, tearing away the soft silence and grabbing both Chloe’s and the astral Rachel’s attention. “Get away from there!” It is Rachel, the one from this timeline in the flesh storming up with a bold posture.

While the astral form has been inhabiting the body of this girl in the present time, this is the first time observing in her authentic but younger form. The one that actually belonged in this timeline and sought out a different path to become the popular girl that is loved by many in Arcadia Bay. _Well, this just got uncomfortable. I wonder how this Rachel really is…_

“Go fuck off…” Chloe’s head drifts away, returning her fixation with the vast golden sea. “...mind your own damn business.”

Rachel shortens the distance between them, stopping about ten feet away. “I said get over here.” There is already both frustration and exhaustion in her tone, with almost no shock or surprise on what Chloe is trying to do. Almost as if she is aware of all of this.

“What are you going to do?” Chloe turns around boldly, pulling out a pocket knife readied in her hand.

Rachel shrugs off the sight of the weapon, “I’m just going to do this…” She takes a few advancing strides, remaining her deep gaze at Chloe.

Not expecting her to be unaffected the threatening words, Chloe’s stance begins to falter. “Back the fuck off… I mean it.” She holds out the knife higher with her trembling arm, “I’m going to cut your pretty face.” Even the younger punk can’t even maintain a convincing look of intimidation.

Rachel arrives right up to Chloe, both of them are close to the edge. Instead, she makes it easier by leaning her head forward and closing her eyes, “Go ahead. Cut it...”

“I’ll fuckin-...” Chloe raises the blade closer and closer to the face of the gorgeous blonde with a peaceful look. The wind gently rattles the blue-jay earring on her left ear. The knife in her hand shakes uncontrollably, swaying along with her heavy breaths. Chloe squeezes her eyes closed, lowering the knife down to her legs. She mutters out in frustration, “Fuck…” 

Rachel opens her hazel eyes and gently wrap one arm behind Chloe’s lower back, reeling her closer. The distressed blonde does nothing to resist the warm embrace, as her body flops along with it. Rachel looks down at the knife and then back into her deep blue eyes, “I know you’re not the type of person that wants to hurt other people for no reason. But however, to yourself…” Rachel looks down at the exposed forearm of Chloe’s with all the evidence of self-mutilations that she has done in the recent past. “Don’t ever make any permanent decisions for such temporary thoughts.”

“Fuck you…” Chloe hisses out sharply that her bang lifts sharply from it. “...if you think this is only temporary. What are you fucking doing here, anyways?”

Rachel pulls her in close until their body touches, letting Chloe feels more of her warmness. Her face is stern, “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I also had some serious issues back then.”

Chloe sighs heavily, “Can’t be anything like me.”

Rachel blinks her eyes, slowly, “You have no fucking idea… believe me.” She gives an awkward and uneasy laugh, hiding the fact that she is a time traveler herself, “I had a best friend that meant everything in my life. I didn’t really have any friends other than her. I would get bullied a lot because of how messed up I was, and she always had my back.” She closes her eyes, dipping her head, “At least, I thought so…”

_She’s talking about Maxine, huh? She’s my best friend, so what happened… I’m sure the shit path I had is very different from hers, right?_

Chloe arches her eyebrows, “Big fucking deal. You had a shit friend growing up. Whoopie doo.”

Rachel continues, “She said some very mean things. Unforgettable things. My mind was already fucked up and fragile at the time, so when you hear these things, it hurts you even more. It means I truly never had anyone that even cared about me in my miserable life.” Rachel presses her lips tightly, gazing emptily into the ocean behind Chloe. “I walked to this very same cliff and I looked out to it, and thought about how it feels to end it as well.”

_This Rachel also wanted to end her own life?_

Chloe takes a steady glance at the cliff behind her, then back into the hazel eyes of Rachel’s. “You are from California, right?”

Rachel raises her eyebrows, realizing the mistake she just made. The flush fills her face, “Sorry… I meant there was a similar cliff back in Long Beach.” She avoids eye contact as the straining recollection along with her lie is weakening her posture.

“It’s okay. Go on…” Chloe’s voice is gentle, but doesn’t fully seem convinced with catching Rachel and her mistake.

Rachel continues, “I decided to choose to run away from my friend. Start a new life without her. A new me.” Rachel presses her lips tightly, her eyebrows gathering together with a pained expression. “I do hope you find your pathing, Chloe.”

_So this Rachel went back in time and changed the past so that Dad… ugh, Dad… never moved to Arcadia Bay. Also, doing this also made it so she never met Maxine, which became the shy hipster girl that is the best friend to Chloe._

Chloe rolls her eyes, but resists the urge to blow up in anger. The preoccupied but genuine look of Rachel has her pondering as well, almost like she is actually feeling the same pain on the same level. “I don’t know. I did have a best friend that fucking abandoned me after my father died when I needed her the most.” Her head drapes down, staring at her clenched fist with the knife that is still sticking out. “And now she fucking doesn’t talk to me, anymore. It’s been like over two fucking years?”

“You also have to find your own strength, Chloe. The world is a bitter place, and unreliable.” Rachel gazes nonchalantly into the sunset, “But I’m here for you.”

“Everyone just says that… and then they just fucking bail.”

“I know.” Rachel reaches down to Chloe’s hand that is holding the knife, and gently guide it to snap it closed, and safely putting it back into her pocket. “Like I said I’ve been abandoned before, by someone I really trusted. So I know how it is to lose all hopes in everything.”

Chloe wets her lips, finding it difficult that a beautiful and smart girl like Rachel to have a troubled and fragile side. “What did that person do to you?”

“I tried to forget about it, but… seeing you sad reminds me too much of my own past.” Rachel bobs her head sideways, shrugging her shoulders, “Basically I’m always been a dead weight to her life. I kept her from everything she wanted to do. So… here we are.”

_Maxine said that? Fuck… doesn’t surprise me, though. She always wanted to spread her wings, and just take off away from me._

“You? Why would she say that to you?” Chloe scoffs out her boiling breath, “I hate people like that. When they think you’re nothing but a burden to them.”

Rachel presses her lips together, with a stony expression, “I admit my mind was weak and fragile back then when I was lonely.”

_This Rachel sounds so mature for her body. Well of course due to time travels, but still… that means this Rachel is quite a bit older than me. I was six years old when I left Long Beach. She had to travel back about fifteen years back, living her life in a girl's body._

“Fuck...” Chloe’s voice is bold, as anger is replacing more of her sorrows in her body. “That’s not a good friend to leave these haunting thoughts in you. That’s just fucked up.”

“I know. So I had to leave her. Move on with my own life without her. I had to be strong.” Rachel is unable to keep steady eye contact, as even it is starting to a take a toll on her body. “I’m doing much better now, but I do wonder if I should see her again.” She doesn’t seem too convinced with her own words, as Rachel gazes on with an unfocused stare. Even she has a yearning for the past and regrets as well. 

“People like that don’t deserve any sympathy.”

“Maybe. But back to you…” Rachel shakes off her worries and reaches out to hold both of Chloe’s hands. “I know it hurts right now, but I don’t want you to be lost and have no path.” She gives out a beautiful sunny smile, lightening up the coldness in both of their hearts. “I know you don’t know me that well, but it never too late to start. I know it isn’t as much compared to your old best friend but…” Rachel’s eyes drift to the side, then returns back with a smile, “...maybe we could be each other’s new best friend.”

Chloe becomes enchanted by the beautiful radiating smile, “Rachel…”

She leans back, dragging Chloe’s arm away from the cliff, “Now, come on… let’s get some ice cream, okay?” She doesn’t seem aware it is Chloe’s birthday.

“Rachel… please don’t… tell this to anyone.” Chloe waddles her steps down the slant as she is being guided by this new angel.

Not looking back, but still delicately holding her hand, Rachel replies, “I promise. Let’s go…” And together, they both leave the beautiful, majestic view of the sunset.

The ghostly Rachel looks on as the two girls are making their way down the hill together, renewed with hope and life.

_That Rachel… maybe I was hoping she would be completely different from me. But I can see myself in her, and a part of her is the reborn Rachel with hope and confidence. Ugh… Hope and confidence… something that I don’t have._

_Though she had to leave Maxine, she must have come back for Chloe. Perhaps Chloe did actually take her own life away in a timeline, hence why this Rachel came back to Arcadia Bay… to become her protector and angel where Max wasn’t there. And eventually, Chloe fell in love with Rachel…_

_Shit… After I finish everything in this timeline, who’s going to be there for me?_

She enters back into the rift.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Cliffside

#### March 21th, 2013 9:05 AM

Rachel returns back to the timeline, her body hunches sharply as the rapid changing sensation settles in her from the abrupt transition.

Kate walks away towards the beautiful grand view of the sea, still maintaining eye contact over her right shoulder. “I’ll wait for you to come back…” She halts, observing Rachel’s unnatural and pale expression. “Wait... are you back, already?” She turns her body completely and quickly grab onto her, “Hey… Rachel. Are you okay? I got you, sit down for a second.”

“Chloe…” She hunches over, falling to her knees as the church girl holds onto her shoulders securely.

“Geez… your entire body went ice-cold all of the sudden. But I’m here. Take some deep breaths.” She uses one hand to do a winding gesture for rhythmic breathing.

Rachel squeezes her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath. Her heart thumps loudly for a single beat, almost as if the sound courses directly into her eardrums. _Ugh… this power usage is probably taxing for me all around._ She pushes her hand firmly against her chest, waiting for the pounding intensity to settle down enough for words to generate on her tongue. “When’s the next bus? I want to see Chloe.”

“I didn’t realize how fast this is going to take. Probably too late to chase after the bus that just dropped us off.” Kate stiffens her posture, seeing if she can see the bus that dropped them off. “Maybe in twenty minutes?”

“Alright…” Rachel lets out one long exhale to calm her nerves.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Cedar Avenue

#### March 21th, 2013 9:35 AM

The bus ride is quiet as it weaves itself through roads in Arcadia Bay, making its way to the bus stop that is closest to Chloe’s house. The ride itself has been quiet, with very mild chattering between the two girls.

Rachel gazes out the window, seeing the blurry buildings flutter right by. _So, that Rachel and Chloe that I saw… They were dead… but I brought them back to life. Shit… this isn’t my first time, saving someone’s life with my powers, but the more I think about it, the more I’m terrified of my own powers._

“Kate, did Chloe tried to blackmail Nathan or something, about me?”

Kate just finished tying her hair to her usual signature hair bun look. “Sort of.” Her eyes drift along to the cascading reflection on the pale ceiling of the bus. “I believe Max told me she needed money, so she can repay some people and get a trip with you to Long Beach.”

“In otherwise, leaving Arcadia Bay, before Max can show up again?”

“Yeah. But Chloe never knew you were already dead. For six months, she kept searching.” Kate dips her head down, “... Never giving up hope.”

Rachel mutters in dread, “Poor Chloe… She died in her search for me.”

She looks over to Rachel, who is hypnotized with the scenery, “Rachel, you haven’t said a single thing about what you saw… other than you stopped Chloe’s suicide attempt.” Kate turns her body, facing her more in the bus seat. “What else did you see? Come on, we’re supposed to share everything.”

Rachel acknowledges her words but ignores her demands. “Kate, what do you think happens after we die?”

Kate’s eyebrows raise to the awkward question, “What?”

“Do you think there’s an afterlife like with Vanessa’s ghost, where we are tormented spirits? How does that work with all these timelines?” Rachel still staring out of the window, but speaking loud enough to ricochet off the glass for Kate to hear. “Are there multiple heavens? Or is there just one heaven for all these timelines.” She looks over her shoulder, to give a glance at Kate, “When I die, will I ever see you again?”

Kate gulps her throat, “Rachel… I don’t even know...” She shakes her head, shoving her bottom lip underneath her upper teeth, “But no, we will see each other, and not just in the afterlife.”

“This Rachel… that I just saved with my rewind powers, along with Ryan, Vanessa, and Chloe. Did I tear their souls from purgatory and shoved them right back into their bodies, so the higher beings can reevaluate their worthiness later when they die?”

Kate’s mouth slightly opens, “I don’t know…”

“What about the other timelines that we don’t know about? One where Rachel died from Jefferson… Chloe shot by Nathan… One where we didn't intervene and Max possibly took her own life with the overwhelming grief from unable to protect her best friend. And then Kate, who faced all the bullying from the students and her family.” Rachel scoots in closer to Kate, “Or another one where the tornado strikes the town, killing everyone in it. Or the one where Chloe did jump off that cliff by the lighthouse.” Her head dips down with an empty gaze, “Am I going to see all these people that I couldn’t save with my powers?”

“Rachel, you being hard on yourself. You have a lot of powers, but you can’t prevent everything.”

She claws at her jeans, clenching in tightly, “Are there going to be several Rachels in the afterlife? That they’re going to hate me from not saving them?” She shakes her head, “And Kate, will you recognize me, then? Does it even matter?”

“Rachel…” Kate holds up her hand, signaling her to stop.

“Or maybe I won’t ever see you guys again. I’ll still be alone…”

The high squeaking of the brakes of the bus shrieks into the nerves of everyone, as it slows down to the approaching bus stop. “Rach… let’s go. This is our stop.”

Rachel gets up following right after Kate, “Alright...”

They both hop out of the bus, as they pause for a moment, gathering their bearings in the neighborhood. Kate points at the direction towards Chloe’s house, and they both resume walk side-by-side on the sidewalk together, “I don’t mean to ignore you, Rachel. I just… don’t know any of this. It confusing to me as well.”

“Sorry, I’m just blabbering. My mind is just going bonkers. The more I’m curious about these things, the more helpless I feel.”

“Maybe I’ll think about it some more and give you an answer later.” Kate reaches over, patting down Rachel’s back, “Sorry, I’m just caught off guard with it.”

Rachel nods, with a forced smile, “Thanks, Kate. You don’t have to say anything, if you don’t want to. But thank you for listening to me.”

“Anytime, Rach!”

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Outside Price Residence

#### March 21th, 2013 9:58 AM

The two girls finally arrive at Chloe’s house, walking up to the front door. Her truck is parked outside on the driveway. Rachel sidesteps awkwardly, noting the paint job of the house, that half of it is yellow and the other half is blue. “The house is half painted…”

Kate turns her head, “Yeah, William was in the process of finishing it. But then he passed away.” Rachel’s lips lower a little with mourning expression. In both timelines, he was an amazing father and also very important to Chloe’s life. Kate shrugs her shoulder, trying to change the mood, “Let’s go.” Rachel nods, following her to the front door.

Kate hesitates for a moment, but then takes the bold initiative of knocking on the door. Rachel stares on with pressed lips, remembering the deep sorrow that she saw in Chloe in her past. It really did remind herself of her own past. Just like what the Rachel was saying. _Some stuff just cannot be healed. I wonder how this Chloe is going to be. She was so full of life in my timeline but so empty and dead in that past._

Kate cranes her head to the side, gently poking the blonde’s arm in a playful manner. “Are you nervous?”

Rachel’s eyes dance around nervously, waddling it way down to her shoes. “I don’t even know.”

Kate grabs her by the shoulder, gently squeezing it. “We are both up the river with no paddles. But still…” She gives a quick pat on her back with a glowing smile. “We’re here together. And from what I understood from Max… you really guided Chloe back up from rock bottom.” Kate gives a wink, “And she loved you.”

Rachel smiles, returning her focus back at the door as she can hear someone approaching.

Joyce opens the door, in shocked in seeing the two girls. “Rachel! Hi, there!” Rachel steps forward boldly with her hand out. “...Oh? Oh, didn’t know I was ever cool enough to get a handshake from the hip ones.” She lets out a hearty laugh, and reach for the extended hand.

Rachel nods her head, “You’re always been, Joyce.”

They both release their hand. Joyce drifts back for a moment, then she smiles. “I’ll remember this. You’re in a good mood today, Rachel. I like that.” She turns her attention to the other blonde girl, “And you’re… Kate, right?”

“Yup. Nice to meet you Mrs. Price… erm. Mrs. Madsen?”

“Oh, I didn’t realize my marriage is so public knowledge.” She shakes her head in a disappointed but light-hearted way, turning around to look up the stairs. “Chloe, come down, it’s for you!” She turns back to face them, returning with a warm look, “But please, call me Joyce.”

Rachel tucks her hands into her pockets, “How are you doing today, Joyce?”

“Good! Thank you for asking Rachel, that is very nice of you.” She looks over her shoulder, at the stairs, again, “Chloe, should be coming down, if not feel free to knock on…” A sound of a door swinging can be heard from upstairs, “Oh, looks like she is coming down.”

A stream of pattering footsteps from a pair of boots comes gliding down the stairs, “Yah yah, Mom I got it. Rach-Rach-Rachhh. Maybe a text message or call before you show up would be nice. Hope my mother didn’t give you any shit, like she always does.” Chloe opens the door wider, now taking control of the door, with her arm. Sporting with her short blue hair, that is combed nicely in this early morning. However, she is still in her sleepwear of gray t-shirt and black shorts. Her beautiful ocean-blue eyes, shifting from Rachel to Kate. “Hi...uh-...who’s that?”

 _There she is. And like reading your diary, I was peeking at your past, seeing how much pain you had to endure to make the decision to end it all._ Rachel’s stare is still drowning inside the beautiful girl’s eyes. _Then in the future, she went on this helpless search for me in this timeline, and wound up getting killed for it. And here we are… in a time space in between of all that._

“It’s Kate.” Joyce turns her body, lowering her voice to be a tad softer, “Don’t you remember?... She was the little girl that played the violin at your father’s service. And we bumped into her a few times with her church fundraiser.”

Chloe chuckles, “Y-eahhh… and every time I laugh at their faces with the lack of dinero, in my pockets.”

“Chloe!” Joyce scolds at her own daughter.

Chloe’s eyebrows raise at the church girl’s eyes that are becoming red and puffy. “Woah did someone die?... Hey...”

“No…” Kate pulls her face to the side, and hunches over. Rachel quickly grabs her body to support her, and circling around for a better view. Kate squeaks through her hands, “Nosebleed…” 

Despite being soft and muffled, Joyce is able to hear it. “Nosebleed?” Her body turns around sharply, running back into the kitchen.

Rachel cradles Kate closer, pressing her head against Kate’s. “Are you feeling, okay?”

“Mm-hmm…” Kate whispers, “It just hit me so hard. I remembered seeing her get wheeled out in Blackwell Academy after being shot by Nathan. Max gave a goodbye kiss to her. She was about to die then, and I cried so hard, praying for her recovery.” She takes a deep inhale, as her fingers still interlocked make a cup formation underneath her face, “And she never recovered. But here she is…” Her sweet voice drifts into a faint sob.

Rachel holds in her tears, as she is starting to feel some of the sorrow that is emanating from Kate. She does nothing but brushes gently across the poor girl’s back. Her face turns slightly to center her attention at Chloe, who is by herself holding the door.

Chloe looks back with her piercing eyes with a somewhat nonchalant expression, as she is confused about what is going on. Her pursed lips bob up and down, as she is chewing gum. Her eyes shuffle repeatedly between Rachel and Kate for several times until finally stopping on Rachel. “So Rach…?”

Rachel gazes absently to Chloe. Slowly, more energy becomes pouring into her stony expression. She forces out through her throat, “Chloe.” She presses her lips together, into a sweet smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hey everyone. Sorry, this chapter took FOREVER to write. As I'm writing this note, I am still under the weather and sick. So I had a good chunk of this chapter going, then I started to get really sick. The sickness also affected with me mentally, giving me some anxiety and distress. Made writing/proofreading not fun at all. Often, I would just walk away from writing the story because of it. It is a relatively slow chapter and I didn't want to prolong the wait any longer for this chapter, so I barely able to put it out with the best of my efforts.
> 
> In regards to the chapter, there are some heavy themes which I associated with Chloe's past. In addition, some grounding that Rachel has suffered issues with her best friend, as well as Chloe's. And that perhaps, maybe they can both be each other's best friend instead. (ditching the same best friend?) But who knows... :)
> 
> Anyways, I don't have much to say, as it isn't terribly exciting chapter to talk about. I do hope my energy recovers so I can be back my normal self to write the next chapter. :) I do wish you all happy holidays! Thanks for reading!


	24. Find Our Way Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy theme, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence - 1F

#### March 21th, 2013 10:04 AM

The gentle morning rays pierce through the glass doors illuminating the dining room of the Price residence with its warm glow. A small orchestra of birdsong can be heard, chirping from some trees, a short distance away. On the dining table, Kate sits calmly with a ripped sliver of a napkin that is stuffed up her left nostril to help ensure the bleeding has completely stopped. Given the slight unpleasant situation she is in, she is put on display for the others to look on with watchful eyes.

“Kate, I will fix you a lemonade.” Joyce walks to the refrigerator in the kitchen, opening it to dig out some lemons from the drawers.

“Mmmm. Thank you,” Kate hums nasally through the napkin in her nose.

Rachel strolls right beside Kate, hunching slightly to get a closer look. She slides her fingers, brushing the soft material of the cardigan before gently squeezing her shoulder, “Are you good, Kate?” She wants to make sure the time travel and the reality of this timeline aren’t still harming her mind anymore. But of course, never can be sure of such things.

Kate smiles, spreading her warmth, “Yeah, I’m good. We’re a team.”

Her cute reply stirs a chuckle from Rachel. “Pound it.” She holds out her fist.

The church girl lowers her head, observing with slight confusion, before realizing what she has to do. Then she responds by bumping her fist against Rachel’s.

“ _Woosh!”_ Rachel makes an explosion sound, swinging her hand back in slow motion.

Chloe raises a single twitching eyebrow to the sight of these two girls acting chummy with each other. She breaks her speechlessness, by clearing her throat in disapproval.

The two blondes dart their eyes to the irritated bluenette for short moment, and then back at each other. Kate leans her head closer, whispering, “You want to talk to Chloe in private? Or do you need my help?”

Rachel blinks rapidly at the uneasy punk girl, and then back at the friendly girl beside her. “Yeah, I can handle this. Give us some time. What will you be doing, instead?”

Kate leans back in her dining chair, looking at the mother who is humming a melody to herself, and busy squeezing some lemons into a tall glass cup. She whispers softly, “It’s so nice to see Joyce full of life, as opposed to the previous timeline. I wouldn’t mind having a nice talk with her. Don’t worry about me.” She winks back, instilling some comfort.

“Thanks, Kate.” She gives one last warm brush on her back, before pushing herself back up on her feet.

Kate’s eyes twinkle as much as her gleaming toothy grin. “No, thank you.” 

Rachel nods her head, then turning her head to the blue haired girl with narrowing eyes with almost a brooding aura. “Hey, Chloe… Can we go to your room and talk?”

Chloe crosses her arms, hunching her body to the side. “I don’t know, can you? Are you sure you want to leave your best bud, downstairs?”

Rachel spins the resisting blue punk around, dragging her into the hallway. “Come on dork, let’s go.”

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence - Chloe’s Room

#### March 21th, 2013 10:08 AM

Chloe opens the door into her room, as the fresh smell of cigarette smoke still enrobes the stuffy air. The window is cracked open to vent in some fresh air, but not enough. The room hasn’t changed too much from what it will look six months later. The American flag still hangs proudly, emitting a pink hue into the room with the calm morning light.

“Hey, get cozy.” The bluenette gives a quick and lazy point with her finger at her bed, then switching direction sharply, to the stereo player tucked in the corner on the rustic white shelves. “Let me put on some jam.”

“Okay...” Rachel continues past the punk, fanning the air with her hand from the disgusting ashy smell in the air. She sits at the edge of the bed, getting comfortable with her bag sitting snugly beside her. Observing blankly at Chloe, who is ejecting the disc from the stereo, and searching for a nearby replacement from a small stack of CDs. Rachel’s phone buzzes, dragging her head to her side pocket and pulling it out. There’s a ‘New Text Message’ notification.

 **Audrey:** Hey Rachel. Sorry, I went to bed early. But this morning, Dad kept yelling at someone on the phone early in the morning. It worries me, a lot. :’( (10:10 AM)

She slips her phone back into her pocket, keeping it discreet. _Jefferson… shit, he’s up to something. I wonder if he is yelling at Nathan..._ Rachel recalls what Kate said last night about convincing Chloe’s stepfather to take down Mark. _But, how can we do that? How much can this David guy really do?_ She curbs her skepticism for now, “Hey Chloe, is David here?”

“Step dicker? Nah, you probably missed that asshole at school. He goes in early, remember?” She finally drops in a disc, shoving the tray back in. “Is he still fucking around with you?”

Remembering Kate mentioning that David was suspecting Rachel for smuggling drugs from Frank onto the school campus. She also shrugs this off to not invoke any unwanted confusion, if she can, “Nah. I just need to talk to him. That’s all.”

“Well, you can call that prick. But why would you ever want to do that?” She steadily turns the knob, raising the volume with ‘Santa Monica Dreams from Angus and Julia Stone’ on. “What’s up, Rach? Is someone messing with you?”

“Nah… it’s not like that.” Rachel fidgets nervously, feeling the sudden curious urge to unbuckle her purse for a glance. Inside it, she finds a folded piece of graph paper written in blue ink. The top part of the letter says: _“C. You can tell how much I want you to read this letter since I’ve been dragging my ass to give it to you. Maybe I just want you to find it when I’m not around so we never have to talk about it...”_ It continues, taking up the entire page.

“What is that?” Chloe stops fiddling with the stereo system, noting the blonde girl being absorbed with the paper in her hands.

“Umm… nothing.” Rachel quickly shoves the letter back into the purse. _Shit… this looks serious. I didn’t even notice it was in my purse before._

“Alright…” Chloe’s voice trails off to a bitter disappointment, weaving her body slightly. “Rach… can I be straight with you?”

 _Shit, that was bad, huh?_ Rachel scratches her elbows with a stony expression. “Uh… Sure.”

Chloe pulls herself back onto her legs and casually making her way to join the blonde on the bed, sitting right beside her. “I know things has been a little weird ever since I… uh…” She clears her throat, “...tried to kiss you.” She rolls her eyes in shame, gulping her throat. “I’m cool that we’re just friends, okay? I suck. I don’t know what I was even thinking.”

Rachel recalls seeing a memory of her being approached by Chloe with a kiss during a tender moment, before shoving her away. It was a memory of this timeline’s Rachel that she saw. Remembering that moment strikes up a sudden flush of heat to her tense face, “Oh no. You just caught me off guard. Really.” She doesn’t want to break apart with Chloe anymore. If that was the original direction where things are meant to go in this timeline, she is going to change it now.

“You don’t have to be nice to me.” Chloe presses her pale cheek against the palm of her hand, “I fuck around too much.” She shifts her eyes over to Rachel, “So… Is that your new toy? A preppy religious girl?” Making a bold transition of the conversation to Chloe’s own conclusion. 

_Speaking of fucking around too much… Chloe, come on._ Rachel doesn’t appreciate the rude and snarky comment towards her friend, but she can sense the growing amount of jealousy coming from the punk. She attempts to defuse the tension, “Kate? Nah, she’s cool.”

“Yeah?” Chloe gives an uneasy gaze, as her tone doesn’t seem convinced at all. In fact, she has been skeptical about everything since Rachel entered her house. “Are you now taking up on believing God?” Her tone is rude, as her displeased nature is clear.

“No…” Rachel stretches her voice, reflecting with her own layers of irritation. “I’m with her because she’s nice.”

“Oh?” Her lips press together, plumply. “Okay.” Her voice is void of any enthusiasm. “Whatevers.” She shrugs her shoulders coldly.

Rachel groans silently, but trying to show some efforts of sympathy, “Chloe, what’s up? How are you doing?”

“Great.” She remains nonchalant. “Fan-fucking-tastic. I’m glad you ask this. Let’s get high.”

The engulfing void of unknown continues to expand between the two. Despite seeing her past and some forewarning from both Max and Kate, she still doesn’t know about Chloe and how she really is to Rachel. While _this_ Rachel was important to Chloe, she could have been an instrument to Chloe’s eventual demise. Not necessary just Nathan Prescott, but perhaps in general as a steady decline. This is something she needs to avoid. “Chloe, seriously. Anything that’s bothering you… Please tell me.”

“I’m hella alright.” The punk sticks out her lazy tongue for a second like as a sign of insult, “Are you trying to save me from my sins, now?”

“Fuck you. I’m worried because you’re upset and shit.” Rachel gives a soft shove to her shoulder, “Am I doing anything that’s bothering you?”

“Well, actually, now you put it this way…” Chloe tilts her head, glaring back. “Yes.”

It shouldn’t be a complete surprise, but still, the colors leave from Rachel’s face, dreading this confrontation. “Me? Alright, what’s up?” Her breaths quicken, but they are soft, trying to play it cool, taking responsibility to whatever this timeline’s Rachel has done. However, her mind is tense and feeling anxious from it.

“What do you mean… ‘what’s up’?” Chloe puffs a single fierce breath, “You don’t tell me anything anymore. You ignore my calls. You’re… just fucking growing more and more distant from me.”

The blonde dips her head down. _Yeah, I know this Rachel was straying away from you. But I want to change it…_ She repeats her thoughts as a question to her, “I’m growing away from you?”

Chloe presses her lips tightly. “Yeah… It is just that... the last time that fucking happened to me, that person moved to Seattle and stopped talking to me altogether.” 

_Max… Fuck…_ She squeezes her eyes closed for a moment, sympathizing with her pain. “Chloe… that will never happen. I promise you.”

The blue-haired punk sways her head lightly, as the fumes are slowly settling down inside her. “I know you’re popular and shit. I feel you can just take off whenever and whoever you want. That’s why I’ve been trying so hard to get us out of Arcadia Bay.” Adding the next words with emphasis. “With me.” Her throat begins straining with growing pressure, “I don’t want to be a total loser around you.”

 _Chloe sounds like me. Living her life in shadows among people that can just let go of her anytime. Maybe this timeline’s Rachel knew her dreams weren’t going to happen unless she made some drastic changes in her life._ The blonde hunches her shoulders, sensing the impending fallout that could be happening between her and this girl. _What if this talk we’re having… never actually happened? Because Rachel is already captivated by Jefferson and slowly breaking off from Chloe?_ She reaches over to brush the bluenette’s shoulder. “Chloe...”

Chloe doesn’t have any immediate response to the warm touch, instead, she gives an empty stare into the room. Her voice is soft and quaking, “...I mean I know I can be a miserable mess. But once we make it to Los Angeles, I promise I will get a job and won’t let you down. And we’ll move into an apartment together. It’s going to be awesome.” With her shaky voice, her tone remains sincere.

 _Just run away from Arcadia Bay, huh? Together…_ Rachel holds her other hand pressing against her chest, to feel the pounding of it. _I wish I can run away with you. From everything..._ “Chloe, I do hope you still do things for yourself, too. Not just for me.”

Chloe sniffs her nose, as her eyes are welling up, “I am doing it for myself. I’m happy when you’re happy. And when you’re with me...” She nods her head gently. Despite being puffy, her eyes are beautiful, “...you become everything to me.”

 _“Rachel, I know I just met you. But promise me, we’ll still be friends, okay? Whatever timeline we’ll end up, and if we ever get separated or if we get lost, promise to come back to me, okay?”_ Chloe’s voice from Rachel’s timeline echoes back into her mind. Reminding of the good times and her sweetness of continuing to be friends, no matter what happens.

_I am lost, Chloe. I don’t know where I belong. Everyone I know has turned their backs to me or going to. But here we are… together at last._

The blood courses quickly through Rachel’s veins, with her quickening breaths to follow. She gazes at this beautiful girl in front of her. Her punkish front hides the softer and fragile side within her. Perhaps, she is near impervious to people, except for the ones that are close to her heart like Rachel. Slowly, the courage in the blonde builds up, as her thoughts are falling right into place. She wraps her arms, reeling Chloe closer until their warm breaths can be felt on each other’s silky skin. Rachel whispers to her, “You’re so beautiful. I’m so happy that you’re here with me.”

The piercing blue eyes of Chloe’s quiver slightly with the touching words, as well as hesitation on her own next actions. However, the welcoming hazel eyes and the soft, comforting breaths of Rachel’s helps curb this resistance. She wets her thin lips and inches it closer until their lips meet together.

Rachel doesn’t recoil at the sudden warm touch, instead, she gently grasps the side of Chloe’s head, weaving her fingers through the smooth blue hair, not wanting this moment to stop. Their lips dance with each other, with their hands caressing each other’s body. Rachel’s tongue presses through the lips, and connecting with Chloe’s tongue, teasing and tasting it. 

“Mmhmm…” Chloe moans through her mouthful, shivering from her neck and up.

Rachel’s tongue lingers in between the punk’s lips for a moment, before slipping off to make her way down the neck, smothering it with repeated kisses, leaving a gleaming trail of its path. 

The punk gazes blankly with half-lidded eyes into the ceiling, with her mouth partially opened and soft breathy gasps lifting from it. Her neck almost buckling at the overwhelming amount of tingling sensation. This is far from the first time she made out with someone, but it is the first time with a girl and with someone that she truly loves.

The blonde works her way past the neckline and along her shoulder, then prying the elastic collar of the gray t-shirt, revealing the black bra strap that hugs tightly on the bluenette’s pale shoulder. Rachel dives in to kiss it and slurps against the strap to let her cravings to be heard.

Chloe sighs in content at the sight, and giving into the demand and drawing her body back. She lifts up her gray shirt, up and over her head, revealing her pale smooth body, and black bra holding tightly her beautiful and perky breasts.

Rachel grins in delight, but wastes no time for the moment. She takes off her plaid jacket, and shims off her white tank top, revealing her leopard print bra, encasing her ample sized breasts.

She runs her fingers smoothly up her slim belly, then cupping her bra with her hands, gently pressing them, to jiggle it.

Chloe gulps at the sights of this, unable to peel her own eyes from the mini show in front of her, “Rawr…” She purrs in a low, sexy voice in response to the exotic prints.

Rachel grins, baring her teeth, as she carefully shifts her weights back onto Chloe’s lap. She proudly arches her back, pushing out her sultry curves more to the blushing bluenette who can’t do anything other than return with delightful eye contact. Through her heavy breaths, Rachel whispers softly, “Touch me…”.

Chloe looks back with a dull-stricken face. Maybe she is questioning her abilities or having a very rare case of shyness with this beautiful friend that is straddling on her. She raises both her hands, hovering just right above Rachel’s breasts. The punk gives a blank look that is requesting for further permission that Rachel responds back with a reassuring nod.

The punk reaches in, wrapping her fingers around Rachel’s breasts, kneading it gently through her bra. The blonde tilts her head back to the warm caressing of her chest. Rachel demands softly, “Harder…” Her tongue is barely able to form that very simple word. Chloe begins squeezing her fingers harder, applying more pressure, that her fingers dig into the soft flesh. Rachel gazes into the ceiling, softly moaning with content with each firm grasp.

The moans from this beautiful girl are instilling more and more confidence into Chloe, as she moves onto the next step. She releases both her grips, leaning in close, nuzzling her nose on Rachel’s nipple through her bra, before pressing her lips and sliding her wet tongue over it, while maintaining steady eye contact with her beautiful and sexy ocean-blue eyes. She swirls her tongue, circling around it and drenching the soft satin fabric with her saliva. 

“Mhmm…” Rachel moans through her quivering mouth, with tingles rising up from her chest, as her nipple hardens, pressing against the light padding. Chloe shifts to the other one, repeating the exact process until Rachel’s body twitches again beyond her control.

A flood of heat also sails downwards in Rachel’s body. The intensity isn’t extinguishing down there as Rachel blindly fumbles her left fingers down to her jeans, rubbing her knuckles through the rough jean materials and her panty underneath that shield her sensitive skin.

Chloe continues running her lips and kissing Rachel’s breasts behind her bra, then moving to her cleavage and the center part of her bra, leaving a trail of wetness. The punk wedges her face perfectly, as she nuzzles into the blonde’s chest, jiggling her breasts. Chloe tilts her head down giving a deep inhale to the chest, smelling the sweet strawberry perfume scent. Staring through the hollow of between Rachel’s breasts, she discovers that her gorgeous friend is also giving herself a nice but difficult rub down there, through the uncomfortable jeans. She pops her head up with an emerging grin, to the blushing blonde. Chloe whispers delicately, winking her eyes, “Keep going. But take off your pants, so it’s easier.”

Rachel halts suddenly, with a slight flush of embarrassment. However, the comforting and curious eyes of Chloe churns up the confidence within her. “I’m sorry. It’s uh… been a long morning.” She pushes out a nervous laughter through her warm breaths.

Chloe looks on, frozen with an astonishing face, “You’re not doing anything I’m disagreeing with.” She forces a grin, then gently stroking the upper thigh of Rachel’s, sending more tingling sensation down there that sends the blonde’s mind spinning. “Take it off…” Chloe gently guides her back onto her legs.

Rachel almost buckles trying to stand back up, as the intensity between her legs, overwhelms her. She unbuttons her jeans, shredding it off to reveal her matching leopard print thong with black lace trim. _Wow… seeing them together again, this bra and panty is sexy looking._ Giving a slow whirl, to flash the back of her panty that wedges between her perfectly round cheeks, that sends a shudder into Chloe’s thighs. Rachel runs her fingers down her belly, and tugging the elastic band of her underwear. Now it is her turn with a grinning look that is requesting permission from the salivating bluenette.

Chloe widens her eyes along with a grin, like a little girl standing in front of a candy store, “You can continue...” Her voice is soft and sweet.

The comforting words resume the hot breaths of Rachel’s, as she slides her fingers down to quench her growing craving. Feeling her mound through the soft fabric of her panty and with just a few grazes against it, her toes curl and leading her legs to quiver.

“I got you.” Chloe quickly digs her fingers into the upper thighs of Rachel’s, sensing the instability of her, and striking a response of a relieving laughter from her.

Even though Chloe’s intention was to support with her hands, her warm touch also sends more tingles, causing her knees to shudder. She looks at the gorgeous punk with her unsteady gaze, wishing her hands are just a few inches higher. Still, with her being supportive, Rachel smiles, resuming her finger work.

“Mmm…” Rachel moans from the intense grip on her inner thighs from this beautiful girl, quickening her pace with her fingers. The touch from her fingertips sends a ripple into the soft fabric that perfectly rubs against all her sensitive parts. The dampness seeps through the material and onto her fingers.

Chloe keeps gripping on, but remaining quiet and observant, admiring the view of her friend’s most personal moment she is offering her to see. A boiling urge in her wants to assist Rachel, but she is deeply mesmerized by this, enjoying the voyeuristic view.

Rachel slides her middle finger across her slit, spreading the wetness around her panty. A ragged sigh escapes from her warm lips, as she focuses on the small hard nub, circling in small motions. Her fingers glide easily as she bites her lower lip, moaning softly over the slight squelching sound of her rubbing. She imagines it is Chloe’s fingers that are touching her, sends her creative mind spinning with rising intensity.

The blonde’s breaths begin coming out in short gasps, her chest heaving lightly from the sharp exhales. She curls her fingers, pressing into her, as her hips buck forward, almost losing control of her body in the racing sensation in her mind. She gives one final inhale and holding her stiff pose for a moment before a low moan spills out of her open mouth. Her tense thigh muscles quiver as a shiver jerks through her lower body.

“There you go…” Chloe’s voice carries gently into her ears.

Rachel’s body relaxes, leaning forward and collapsing onto Chloe as they both fall flat onto the bed. The punk lies obediently right beneath her, giving support to her slender body. The blonde’s hips are still bucking in the air slightly, as the intensity still being oozed out of her body in contracting waves. Chloe wraps her arms tightly against the smooth back. Her fingers squeezing tightly the back closure of the bra, the bluenette tilts her head to the side, nibbling softly Rachel’s left ear, gently rattling the blue jay earring. The blonde lets out soft squeaky gasps from this, as both of their chest, are pressed tightly into each other, making it difficult to breathe.

Chloe senses the struggle, whispering into her ear, “I’ll give you some space.” 

“Mmm…” The only word that is able to escape from her lips.

Chloe gently rolls the fatigued Rachel off her body, so she is resting on her back right beside her. The blonde’s eyes are closed, her chest heaving more freely up and down, still trying to catch her breaths. Her left fingers are trickled with moisture and curling upwards, resting on her belly.

The observant bluenette leans in closer, noting Rachel’s wide mouth quivering against her intense exhales. Her gaze is focused on those beautiful lips, as she hones in and makes contact with a kiss. This makes it more difficult for Rachel to catch her breaths, but she welcomes it.

Chloe lifts her face, forming a smile, “How are you feeling?” The answer is quite obvious but still teasing for a reply.

Rachel’s eyes are half-lidded, but still somewhat focused on Chloe’s eyes, “Amazing.” She puffs out that word hoarsely.

Chloe smiles at the rather vulnerable but relaxed girl, scanning her entire body, seeing the dark and damp areas of her panty. “You’re so wet…” Rachel twitches in slight embarrassment, squirming to cover up her body. Chloe, quickly pins her down, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” She grins with reassuring expression, but teases her further, “What were you thinking about when you were touching yourself?”

Rachel’s eyes are a little more wide-open, the stars she is seeing is slowly subsiding. She wets her lips with some hesitation. But she forces out the truth, “You.”

Chloe bares her teeth in approval to the response. Without any words, she dips in close, hovering close, over Rachel’s face, sticking out her tongue.

Rachel leans upwards, and presses both her lips around the stiff tongue, sucking on it. The blonde with her dry hand feels up the slender belly, and arrive on Chloe’s breast, squeezing it. The bluenette lets out a soft quivering moan through her captive tongue.

Rachel pulls back, gasping for air, still recovering from her exhaustion. “Sorry. I’m still out of breath.”

Chloe chuckles, accepting the loss of heat, giving a quick peck to the cheek, “It’s all good.” She rests her head, pressing her cheek against Rachel’s soft breasts, letting it heave into her face.

The blonde relaxes her shoulder, her gasping mouth twists into a content smile. She gently cradles the bluenette with her right hand, running her fingers through her hair, and squeezing her head tightly to her chest. The hair of the punk is long overdue to get re-dyed again, as the roots are showing more of her natural strawberry blonde color. She reminisces the time with Chloe from her own timeline, how cheery she was. Smiling with an endless amount of happiness and hope with her long beautiful blonde hair and without any hate or mistrust to the world. Something that Rachel wishes she could be. And she wishes _this_ Chloe to be, as well.

Rachel blinks owlishly as her mind resets back to reality, as she shuffles her body, leaning her head for a quick kiss on the resting punk, “You look cool with your blue hair. But I think you will look even better going back to your natural blonde.”

“What?” The lingering warmth dissipates quickly from her face. Chloe shifts her eyes in the direction of Rachel’s but unable to see her, “Uh… what the fuck? Thought you were digging my blue hair.” She whines through her grinning teeth.

“Yeah. I know.” Rachel gazes at the ceiling with dreamy eyes. “I just think with it growing back is a nice sign of recovery from the pain you have suffered.” She nods gently, with a smile, “I can’t wait for that day when you do recover. I really do.”

“Recovery? What the fuck does that even mean?” Chloe scoffs, rolling herself over, so she is peering at the blonde girl between her breasts. “I think your orgasm is doing the talking, Rach.”

Rachel lets out a blushing laughter, “Maybe…”

“Knock! Knock!” Someone knocks on the door along with a cute voice. It’s Kate’s voice.

Chloe groans quietly, “Who’s there?” She mutters the joke, before pulling herself off Rachel’s body.

As the weight gets lifted off her chest, a sudden jolt of energy courses through Rachel’s body, propelling it up. Chloe is fidgeting with the gray t-shirt in her hands, tossing it around like a pizza dough. Her posture doesn’t look very inviting anymore, already tilting away, and not welcoming for a final kiss.

 _I hope she isn’t mad because Kate interrupted us._ Rachel kicks her legs off the bed, groaning loudly through her throat, “One minute, Kate. Is it just you outside?”

“Mm-hmm!” Kate chirps through the door, “Yeah, Joyce is downstairs.” 

Rachel takes in a deep inhale, pacing towards the door, letting the cool morning air caresses against her sweaty skin.

Chloe puts on her gray t-shirt back, realizing the body of the blonde is still visible. “You’re not going to put on your clothes?”

Rachel looks down at her half naked body with just the leopard bra and panty to cover her slender body. While the pattern on her lingerie is somewhat darker color, it still cannot hide the streaks of wet marks on it. But Rachel doesn’t care too much about covering herself. Maybe it is a combination of how relaxed and euphoric she is feeling and her boosted self-confidence with this body. She conjures a somewhat valid reason, “It’s okay. I need some time to cool my body, and I need to wash up.”

“Didn’t know you two are that close.” Chloe sneers through her clenched teeth.

The two girls are not that close together but perhaps Rachel wants to tease a reaction out of the conservative but sweet girl. She opens the door, with Kate standing behind it, holding a tray with a pitcher filled with lemonade and ice cubes, and a few plastic cups. _Gosh, she’s so damn cute!_ Rachel quickly slips out the room, to get some privacy from Chloe, causing the church girl to take a step back. “Oh…” Kate is surprised with the sudden movement. Then her eyes scan down at the half naked body of the sultry girl. “Oh!” She says with heightened excitement, looking closely at the leopard bra that is encasing Rachel’s nice sized breasts, which also contains some slobbering. Her eyes sail downwards to the matching lacy leopard panty, lighting her expression, “Mmm… A safari sounds fun.” She makes a silly comment about the exotic leopard print lingerie.

Rachel giggles at the dorkiness from the girl, with growing temptation to pinch her cheeks. “I want to pinch your cheeks so bad, but I need to wash my hand.” She hides her left fingers in shame. Kate playfully retreats, giving her more space. Rachel makes quick strides to the bathroom and washing her hands with warm water and soap.

Kate also enters the restroom standing by the doorway, still lugging the giant tray with wide curious eyes. She grins, showing her teeth, “Seems like you and Chloe hit it off.”

She continues to take long breaths, still heaving her fatigued chest, yet her body feels tranquil. “We just kissed Kate.”

Kate’s eyebrows arch in curiosity, “Ooooh…”

Rachel gives her fingers a good scrub under the warm stream of water, “We didn’t do anything else… Maybe squeeze each other boobies. But I also kind of… masturbated and she just watched me.” There is some slight regret creeping into her throat from her confession, perhaps the wording she used.

The cute church girl’s eyebrows shoot upward even more, “Ho ho!”

Rachel turns off the water, letting the excessive water drips off her skin for a moment. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have told you that. I’m a little embarrassed, actually. And, I probably shouldn’t have led her on.”

“No, please never feel ashamed to talk about anything with me. It’s totally fine!” Kate lightens the mood, tipping her nose in the air with a glowing smile, “Well… she loved you and totally crushed on you. There’s no secret about that.”

“I couldn’t help it. It just got hot and tense. Ugh… I don’t know, Kate.” She turns around to dry her hands on the cobalt-colored hanging towels on a towel bar. _I feel like I violated something. Or maybe I’m disrupting this timeline with my own wants._

“Well…” Kate blinks slowly, “...did you guys enjoy your time together?”

“I think so. We had a little heated talk before, but then…” Rachel shifts her eyes nervously to the side, “Well you know, I think she enjoyed it. I enjoyed it.” She clears her throat, with her voice close to a whisper. “Enjoyed getting myself off…”

Kate lets out a silent laughter, her cheeks puff up to the uncomfortable talk. “Well… then there’s nothing to worry about.” She winks through her flushed face, moving more into the bathroom, so she is partially resting the tray on the sink.

She was on cloud nine just a minute ago, but maybe just conversing with Kate, she has some swelling regrets with her actions. She takes a long deep breath to hopefully clear her racing mind, “I think seeing how this Rachel was slowly detaching herself from Chloe. I wanted to shift her back. I didn’t want Chloe to feel abandoned anymore, but maybe I overdid it a little?” 

Kate rolls her shoulders giving them a stretch from carrying the tray, “I know you have a crush on Chloe. Even if it is from a different timeline. Likewise the other way around in this timeline. And to be honest, us being closer together, is okay in my book.”

Rachel shrugs, drying the remaining wetness on her hands onto her belly. “Maybe.” She looks down at her lace panty, realizing her curvy cheeks has been hanging out of her thong on display for the church girl. “Shit… I’ve been flashing my butt to you.” She wobbles around to cover her offending bits, “Sorry.”

Kate shakes her head, “It’s okay. But you have some…” There’s a small stack of napkins on her tray, that she picks up a few to hand it to Rachel. “Here, so you can wipe it.”

Rachel looks down, realizing a gleaming trail left by Chloe remains on her cleavage, “Oh damn, Chloe.” She grabs the napkin, then gently wipes off her skin with the absorbent napkins. “Kate, I didn’t realize your eyes were going straight here.” The other blonde lets out a hearty giggle. That cute response leads Rachel to sticks her tongue out, winking her eyes. “These are not nearly as big as those beautiful women in that magazine you tried to steal from me. What was the name of that magazine?”

Kate’s eyes light up again with her eyebrows pinching together for a fake angry but adorable expression, “Busty. Blonde. Bombshell.” Repeating herself from the dirty magazine she found in Rachel’s room earlier in the morning. She lets out an anguished but totally lighthearted laughter, “You like it when I say that, don’t you?”

 _Kate, you’re so adorable!_ Rachel discards the napkins into the trash bin, then she wraps her arm around the cute girl for a light hug, “I do, Kate!”

“Why?” Her smile gets wider, puffing up her round cheeks.

Rachel unable to lift her eyes off this cute and beautiful girl, “I don’t know.” She gazes at this girl’s lips for a moment, “I think your reaction is cute and adorable.”

“I mean… I am pretty sheltered with many things.” Kate rolls her eyes in shame, before tipping her nose in the air. “But! I know some stuff.” She droops her shoulders slightly, “Still, you can go ahead and pick on me with these things.”

Rachel caresses the girl’s back some more, “It’s okay to be sheltered from these… useless stuff. And I’m only teasing. Give me a hug? My fingers are clean now, just don’t think… what I was doing with them a couple minutes ago.” She squeezes out a groan from the embarrassed church girl. Rachel pats the back of her own head, in shame, “Shit… I hope you’re not grossed out by me.”

Kate gulps her throat, trying not to choke on her spit. “I think it’s cool, you’re so comfortable. I get so uneasy talking about _anything_ , with people.” She clears her throat, letting out a sigh, “But no, I’m not grossed out at all. Why would I be? I’ll give you a hug.”

 _Aww… she’s so fucking cute._ She reels Kate in closer, but halts, observing at her half naked body with caution. “Umm… careful don’t press into my bra. Chloe kind of… went at it, as you already noticed.” 

Kate grins with a radiating face. “No problem. I’ll give you the best hug I can give while holding this tray!” She wraps her available right arm around Rachel’s, squeezing her tightly for a warm embrace.

Rachel feels Kate’s chest being pressed into hers, letting out a fake exaggerated groan, “Kate, I can’t breathe. You’re crushing me with your busty blonde bombshell-ness.”

“What?!” Kate squawks in disagreement. “No way!” She tips back, releasing her grip, pinching her shoulder forward to cover her own chest in slight humiliation.

Rachel laughs but fakes a disappointing tone, “Noo…” She holds out her arm, “I'm joking too much, now. Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. But I really would like a long hug.”

Kate still baring her teeth, as she straightens her posture. “No-no-no-no… I’m not offended at all.” She throws out her arm, inviting in for another hug. “Here!...”

Rachel dips in wrapping her arms around her, squeezing tightly again, “D’awww…” She hums in content, burying her nose in the hair bun. She sniffs in, letting in the nice scent of Kate, revitalizing her mind just for a tender moment, then letting out in a content sigh, lifting strands from the hair bun. A growing heat expands inside Rachel’s chest from this, as she repeats again for another deep inhale before releasing her.

Still, Rachel holds Kate’s only available hand, interlocking their fingers. There is a short pause between them as they just look deep into each other’s eyes. Rachel has even more relaxed eyes than before. Kate breaks the silence between them, “What’s up?”

“Nothing…” Rachel replies quickly, releasing their connection to rub her chin with her knuckles. She deflects the blushing moment, looking past Kate, back into the hallway. “Let’s go back to Chloe’s room.” She gently guides Kate’s waist to crane her body around with the tray, and they both resume together back into the hallway.

Kate looks over her shoulder as they arrive in front of Chloe’s room, “Some lemonade?”

“Sure.” Rachel picks up the pitcher, taking one of the cups, and filling it with ice cold refreshing lemonade to the top. The thirst is real in Rachel as she gulps it down quickly with almost no pause, setting down the empty cup back to the tray. “You want one, too? I’ll pour you one.”

“Yeah!” Kate’s eyes gleam with joy, “I had one earlier but I’m getting thirsty, again.”

Rachel takes a new cup to pour another one, “Well… you have been on a safari.” She jokes about Kate’s earlier comment, glancing down at her offending lingerie, “Sorry. I’m kind of being a total exhibitionist to show off. This Rachel has better looking lingeries than mines. I saw some other nice ones in her drawers.”

“Well, she does have that natural modeling personality trait.” Kate’s expression is in delight, peering with wide eyes as the glass is being filled up. She switches her attention to the half naked body, “I do agree it is kind of… _meow_ looking.” She laughs with a flush in her face, already regretting her awkward words, “Are you going to pick on me some more?”

 _Oh, Kate…_ “Meow looking? Yes. I’m going to do this…” Rachel sets down the pitcher, and gently holding the cup up to the church girl’s lips, gently tilting it to feed her.

“Mmm…” Kate’s eyes widen, drinking the refreshing lemonade. As her thirst is quenched, she nods lightly, signaling Rachel to set down the cup, and letting out a content sigh, “Ahh… Thanks!”

Rachel’s pleasing smile dissipates to a more stern expression, almost dreading what she has to do next, “So… we need to talk to Chloe about everything. See if we can take Jefferson down. And I found out David is at Blackwell Academy.”

Kate nods her head, “Ah that’s right, totally forgot about that. So are you ready to take down Jefferson? I think because Rachel is saved in this timeline, Audrey wouldn’t be blamed as much. And she will have a brighter future with her father in jail.”

Rachel gives a knowingly look, but then she freezes as a sudden guilt strikes into her gut like a streak of cold lightning traveling down her spine, as she recalls the dark nightmare she had last night. “Nathan… Shit… Anything we can do for him? I feel something is going down with him. He just picked up some drugs from Frank. And, I think he was talking to Jefferson today. Audrey mentioned Mark was pissed off this morning on the phone with someone.” _He is also another victim, maybe I can help him? Or will it cause another issue to this timeline?_

Kate shrugs her shoulders coldly, which is a very rare thing for her. As sweet and amazing of a girl she is, it is maybe still too early for her to show any sympathy towards Nathan for what he did in the previous timeline. “I don’t know. But first, let’s go talk to Chloe.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” _I’ll have to think about Nathan, later._ Rachel leads the way, opening the door back into Chloe’s room with the other blonde girl right behind her, lugging proudly the tray of lemonade. 

Kate straightens her posture, calling with pride across the room, “Chloe! Would you like some lemonade?”

Chloe is fully dressed in her sleepwear of the t-shirt and shorts from before. She is now sitting on the bed, crossed leg with a paper in her lap, with her fists pressed tightly into her chin, as her eyes slowly lift to meet with Rachel’s. “So, you been dreading to give this letter to me… You said you may want me to find it when you’re not around. Well, I’m going to fucking read it while you two were doing… whatever the fuck you guys were doing.”

Rachel crosses her arms, as a chill covers her exposed body like a sheet of ice. _She just read that letter that was in my purse, huh? I don’t even have any idea what it is._ “Chloe, why are you going through my stuff?” She doesn’t have much of an arsenal to defend herself.

“Because you have been acting so fucking strange.” She tosses the paper forward, but only a few inches in front of her. Her body is seething with anger, “So, you hooked up with a teacher near campus? This is your ‘wise and unconventional person that is better than a typical lame Vortex Club snobs’? A fucking teacher at Blackwell Academy? You’re seriously fucked up in the head.”

Rachel stiffens her body, frozen and silent from Chloe’s unrelenting words, as she has no explanation for _this_ Rachel’s motives in all of this. Kate, paces quietly towards Chloe’s desk, dropping off the tray, preparing against the fuming tension in the room. She steadily approaches the punk that has a penetrating glare, “Chloe, may I see the letter?”

“Sure. Take it.” Chloe doesn’t remove her gaze off Rachel. Kate cautiously picks up the letter in front of the girl boiling with rage, but also gathers the white tank top and jeans of Rachel’s, then retreating back to the shaken up blonde. “Yeah, go cover her up.” Chloe rolls her eyes.

“Thanks, Kate.” Rachel takes the pile of clothes, sorting it out to put on her jeans. Having her clothes back on, she is going to feel more secured. And she is going to need it.

Chloe presses her lips tightly together, with her nostril flaring, “Seems like this teacher isn’t pleasing you if you have to rub yourself in front of me.”

“Chloe…” The brave church girl lifts her head from reading the letter, raising her bold voice to intervene. “Please stop it.” She knows she has to back up her friend on this. Chloe slumps her shoulders, softening her menacing aura from the words of this girl that she barely knew. But quite understandably, Chloe isn’t going to react well at all to any of this.

“Kate…” Rachel finishes putting on her tank top, feeling slightly relieved at the backup support. “Thank you.”

“You know what?” Chloe straightens back her posture, showing more of her bite again, “You two just get the fuck out of my place, alright? I had it with both of you.”

“Chloe, wait. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. But then again, I’m not even sure how to approach this...” Rachel straightens her shirt over her belly, taking a few daring steps towards the punk. “The reason why I’m acting weird is because I’m not from this timeline. I’m actually in a different timeline and also from the future, sorta. But I took over this Rachel’s body last night. And Kate is from this timeline, but from the future.”

Chloe gazes blankly at her, “Well, fuck this. I had enough of this bullshit.”

 _Maybe this isn’t the best way to approach her. But I seriously have no idea, if she is already riding on my ass about Jefferson._ Rachel turns over to her angel, that is reading the letter. “Kate, can vouch for me?”

Kate doesn’t take her eyes off from the letter, as her lips are moving in silent, reading the letter, “It’s true, Chloe.”

Chloe scoffs at her, “Is this some divine message from the future?”

Kate lowers the letter, returning with her own glare from her hazel eyes. “Chloe, just because you see me as a shy girl trying to raise money for my church, it doesn’t mean I am cramming the words of God into everyone around me. So, please don’t be disrespectful to me.”

Chloe recoils her body slightly and crossing her arms, “Alright, I’m sorry.”

The pure angel folds the letter in half, as she is finished skimming the letter, “It’s fine. It is a lot to digest, Chloe. But it is the truth.”

“Uh…” The punk puffs out her breath. “...nothing to digest. I said ‘I’m sorry’, but you guys are still full of fucking shit.”

Rachel clenches her fists, trying to reclaim some strength back into her body, “Chloe, I’m trying to understand this _Rachel_ , but I really don’t know too much about this timeline. Only the future of it.”

Chloe shakes her head profusely, “Really? So you’re just some ghost that took over my best friend’s body? Yet, you think you know me enough to pounce on me and fuck with my mind pretending to be the person I love?” She lets out a sarcastic laughter, “Is that right? You’re must be a fucking lonely person to come over here, then.”

Rachel nods her head, “As of the matter of fact, I am. I did come over to this timeline because I am lonely… “ She glances at her left wrist with the blue starred tattoo, “Actually, I’m slowly dying...” Kate cranes her head slowly, as some of her boldness is drained, looking at the sad blonde with some disbelief and wanting to interrupt her.

“Oh great.” Chloe shows no sympathy. In a snobbish manner, she replies, “But is my Rachel going to be harmed, though?”

“No. Once I leave, your Rachel will take control again. Then I’ll be back in my timeline.”

“Good.” Chloe lets out a sigh of relief, to highlight her lack of concerns. “Do whatever you need to do here, and then go back to your timeline to rot. And don’t ever come back.”

Her words pierce deeply into her heart, but perhaps it is Rachel’s fault for wanting a sympathy card from the upset punk. She wets her lips, gazing absently at her, “Maybe your wish will come true.”

“Shut up, Chloe!” Kate finally snaps, interrupting them. She turns to her friend, “Rachel, let me do the talking okay? Please?” Rachel’s face grows pale as the reminder of her cold, bitter existence is coming back to her. “Rach…?” The church girl reaches over, grabbing her by the shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

Rachel nods weakly, but the cold dreary feelings are already puncturing back into her. She crosses her arm, shifting her body away from the two girls.

Kate sways from side to side, wanting to see Rachel’s face, but the dark and unwelcoming aura emanating from her, rejects this request. Instead, she just gives a gentle pat on her back, then turning back to the punk that has been eyeing them carefully. “Chloe, in a few weeks, Rachel is going to get murdered by the teacher mentioned in this letter. But no one will know this, so instead she is reported missing. But you kept searching for her for six months until you ran into Nathan Prescott. He shot and killed you.”

“Alright…” The punk throws both her hands up, she also shifts her body coldly away from the two girls. “I’m not going to say anything. Say the fuck you want to me. I don’t care anymore.”

The brave girl continues to speak, “Your best friend Max Caulfield, was also right there when you died.” She scratches the sleeves of her cardigan uneasily, “She also had time travel powers, too. But she couldn’t save you with hers.”

“What?” Chloe kicks her legs off the bed, so it is dangling off the side. “Max?” The mention of her old best friend freezes all the rage in her body. She didn’t speak too much about her old best friend to Rachel before, and while both Kate and Max were at William’s funeral, they didn’t meet each other then.

Kate continues, “After your death, Max’s parents drove down to Arcadia Bay from Seattle. They died in a car accident. So Max lost both of her parents and you. I was there, trying to comfort her as she was suffering.” She takes a few steps closer to the bluenette as her voice is softer now than before, “If it went any further, I think Max would have taken her own life. But Rachel…” She looks over her shoulder at the blonde behind her, “This Rachel used her time travel powers hop over to this timeline and reset all of this. So, everyone has a chance again, including you and this timeline’s Rachel.”

Chloe groans almost to a shrill cry, getting off the bed and standing back on her feet. “I don’t get it…”

Kate recalls some information that she got from Max, that may convince Chloe. Things that even Max is not supposed to know about. “You don’t believe me? Outside the clinic, when Max paid for your next-day pill. She never knew you were going to take your own life. You hid the wounds of slashing your arms from her. She only knew because she time traveled with _this_ Rachel to relive that scene.” Kate wets her lips, giving a soft nod. “She misses you, a lot.”

The punk looks back with doe eyes, feeling offended that some of these dark secrets are revealed to these complete strangers, who has been saying some impossible things. “Alright, so what the fuck do you guys even want from me?” She paces boldly towards the two girls, “Actually, fuck it. I’m hungry. I’m going to get some food downstairs.” She storms past the girls without waiting for a reply, slamming the door behind her.

“Okay, Chloe.” Rachel’s voice is low as the punk is already long gone from the room.

Kate grabs Rachel’s hand, interlocking their fingers and squeezing tightly, “Max mentioned to me about finding a letter in Chloe and Rachel’s hideout in the junkyard, that hinted about the relationship with Jefferson. But much of the exact details were actually crossed out so Max didn’t know it was Jefferson at the time.” She holds the letter up, “I think this is the letter. Except before everything got crossed out.”

Rachel feeling disconnected, looks blankly at the paper, but no desire to read it anymore, “Yeah?” 

The church girl’s body droops down a little, sensing the sluggishness, “Rachel, are you okay?”

There isn’t much life in the blonde’s face anymore, she shifts to gaze absently into the floor. “I don’t know, Kate.”

Kate wraps her arms around the girl, holding her tightly and reminding the support that Rachel has in all of this. They hold their embrace for a warm moment, in otherwise a tense and chilling situation they’re dealing with. Finally, they release each other, with a friendly smile.

Rachel’s voice is a little louder than a whisper, “Thanks.”

#### Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber

#### Track to Portland

#### March 21th, 2013 10:32 AM

The train hums with its soft chugging sound as it glides smoothly and swiftly through the green fields towards Portland. Lines of sprawling red alder trees spreads it emerald leaves into the moist morning sky.

Max gazes at the window in the magnificent view of nature, a nice break from the urban setting of Seattle. Right in front of the hipster is her pink prom dress hanging proudly on the coat rack. She looks up at it, just reminiscing her mother’s words, right before leaving her house to head to the train station.

_“Max, I want you to wear this dress, if it isn’t too much of a hassle to bring to Arcadia Bay. Have a nice dinner with Chloe, and your friends and wear it. I want this dress to be a reminder of happier times that you share with your friends. Not ever a stigma of dark times. I want you to be happy. You’re my daughter. And I love you so much.”_

Her mother’s sweet words twist Max into a soft smile, thinking of how loving she is. And, how happy that her mother and father are now saved. And, that they will live a new future together. Everyone. _I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad._

The old lady that is sitting right beside her finally breaks the silence. “I was going to compliment it earlier, but you had your headphones on.” She leans closer, pointing at the dress, “That’s a gorgeous dress. I’m in love with the color.”

Max nods, with a proud smile, “Thanks. It is. My mom helped with picking it for me.”

The old lady relaxes her posture back into her seat, as her smile widens, “Oh that’s lovely. Prom?” Max grins with her eyes shut, nodding lightly. The lady continues, “That’s exciting. Are you meeting with your date in Portland?”

“Mmm…” Max squeaks softly, “In Arcadia Bay, but yes.”

“Ah… that’s fantastic, dear. You have fun, then.” The old lady stiffens her body, molding back into the seat, “Looks like we’re making great time to Portland.”

Max leans up, also gazing absently ahead. _I wonder how Rachel and Kate are doing? And if they have met up with Chloe, yet… I should text Kate._

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence - 1F

#### March 21th, 2013 10:43 AM

Chloe ravages the grilled cheese that Joyce has made for her, stuffing it into her mouth, and making far more sounds by exaggerating her satisfaction. The others watch her eat with a mixture of amusement and awe.

The mother puts her hand on her hips along with a sigh, “Chloe, don’t eat so fast.”

“Mmm-” The punk mumbles through her full mouth, “Too goo…” She chews some bits in her mouth, so she is slightly more clear, “Too hungry.”

Joyce shakes her head in disapproval, “Alright. I need to head to work for the big lunch shift.” She grabs her purse from the kitchen counter, throwing it over her shoulder. “Kate... Rachel… are you sure you don’t want me to fix something quick for you guys?”

“I’m good.” Rachel holds up her hand, then pointing at the box of muffins. “I may take you up on that offer with the muffins later, though.”

“Of course, please help yourself. And Kate, you better make sure these two slapsticks don’t burn down the house while I’m gone.” Joyce grins at trendy blonde that she is starting to bond nicely with, “I’m kidding, Rachel.” Chloe chews her food with loudness and bitterness, observing this fake friend of hers, developing a positive relationship with her mother.

Kate grins, with a polite nod, “Don’t worry, Joyce. I’ll look after them.”

“Take care everyone.” She walks through the hallway, and steps out the front door, then locking it from the outside with her keys.

Kate peers at the box of muffins, licking her lips from the scrumptious look of them. She grabs one in her hand, tossing it lightly up in the air and catching it, “We can share a muffin, Rachel.”

“Thanks, Kate.”

Chloe presses her lips tightly, mocking her, “ _Thanks, Kate._ Sure thing, creepy Rachel.”

Rachel scoffs, turning her body to the blue haired punk, who has finished devouring her grilled cheese, moved to eating her cereal and pretending to mind her own business after her snarky comment. It was more peaceful earlier with Joyce in the room, but now that they’re all alone, the storm clouds are now rushing into the void of the kitchen. “Chloe, I’m sorry about earlier. I have my own issues, too. These time travel and timelines are fucking me up.” Her throat seems to strangle the air out of her lungs, at least whenever she looks at Chloe, “It’s a real shame to find out this version of myself to die in the future.”

Chloe clangs the spoon on her ceramic bowl repeatedly, but not scooping any cereal or milk, “Whatevers.”

Kate holds up her phone in her other hand with an entranced look, “Hey Chloe…” 

“What’s up?” She finally resumes scooping cereal and milk into her mouth.

“Umm…” She finally peels her eyes off from the phone with an almost pained look, “This is totally up to you, but could you drive us to Portland Union Station?”

Chloe brings the bowl to her lips, slurping loudly with the remaining milk infused with the sweet sugar from the cereal into her mouth, then setting the bowl down. She wipes the lingering milk on her lips, with the back of her hand, “Oh-yeah-totally. It’s totally not over an hour drive.” She snorts, “What the hell is in Portland?”

Kate looks over at Rachel who is also giving an inquiring look, but her lips are opened like she is going to dread what she is going to hear next. The hair bun girl gulps loudly with a slight squeak, “Max’s train is arriving soon from Seattle. Maybe we can give her a ride?”

“Max?” Chloe sets her spoon down in her bowl as Kate finally grabs her attention, “Why the fuck would she be coming down from Seattle?”

“Here… she’s texting me.” Kate strolls to Chloe, showing the screen of her phone to reveal the small conversation snippet she has been having with Max through Facebook. 

Chloe blinks slowly at the screen, then narrowing her eyes back to Kate, “What the fuck? She’s texting you and not me?”

Rachel pulls the church girl’s elbow, tugging it so she turns around, “Kate, you told Max to come down here?”

Kate gulps again her throat, nodding slowly, “I did Rachel.”

The blonde’s lips press together at a slant in disbelief and disgust. Her voice is low, almost like a mumble, “What the hell, Kate...”

Kate pouts her lips, drooping her shoulders, “I’m sorry, Rachel.”

Chloe buries her chin into the knuckles of her hands, “Like... fucking seriously? Max is coming to Portland?”

“She’ll be here a little past noon.” She turns back to Chloe, “I can pay for gas. Please give her a ride.”

“You know what?” Chloe shoves her chair back, launching back up on her feet with force. She pulls out the phone from her pocket in her black shorts, “I’m going to give her a fucking call.” Scrolling through the contact list, she does it a few times, but unable to find Max’s number on her phone. She wets her lips, lowering her phone to her side in defeat, “I removed her from my phone...”

Kate pulls up her phone again, scrolling back to her conversation. “One second. I have her phone number.”

Chloe still gives the empty stare into the dining table, her arms completely void of all life and energy. “Seeing her name on my phone got too unbearable, so I had to remove it.”

“Here.” Kate holds the screen again to Chloe.

 **Max Caulfield:** Kate, here’s my phone number. I can explain to Chloe about everything, so both you and Rachel don’t have to deal with it. (10:17 AM)

Chloe’s shuddering eyes tries to focus at the screen, seeing the phone number and the rest of that sentence in the conversation. Feeling almost sick to the stomach, as a wave of heat drains from her face. She did use to memorize Max’s number back then before a more persistent form of contact list were developed for cell phones. Her voice is weak and frail, “God…”

Kate looks between her phone screen and then back at the sorrow that is forming in Chloe’s blue eyes. “I’m very sorry, Chloe.”

The punk stiffens her posture but her face still fragile and trembling with the choking amount of melancholy in her. “Little past noon, you said?” She asks again.

“Yeah.” Kate nods softly.

Chloe stares blankly across the room, sniffing her nose. Then she storms out of the dining room, through the hallway and up the stairs, leaving just the two blonde girls alone with each other. 

Kate slowly turns over to Rachel, who has her arms crossed with a soft glare back. She steadily approaches her with the muffin still in her trembling hand. She holds it up almost like she wants to offer it but she can’t commit to the action, because of the fierce look. Instead, she dips her head in shame, “I’m so sorry, Rachel.”

Rachel sees the soft and apologetic face of the church girl, but still, she is fuming with anger and with her own demons in her veins. Things are slowly spiraling out of her control as a time master. But perhaps she was never in control of anything to begin with.

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### 26 Freeway East

#### March 21th, 2013 11:39 PM

The road to Portland is smooth as Chloe’s truck speeds down the 26 East, as they are well after the usual rush hour time. The noise of the pick-up truck’s engine drowns out the silence as it revs itself through the small hills towards Portland. Kate is sitting in the middle seat of the truck, with crossed arms. There is a long and awkward silence, as she glances side to side nervously, waiting for a conversation to erupt between the other two quiet girls. Rachel is sitting with tense posture with crossed arms, in the passenger seat as she gazes out to the wilderness off the side of the road.

_Kate… I know she means well, but can I really trust her kindness? Especially once Max gets here. I’m already on the wrong foot with Chloe. But one thing I’m different from this timeline’s Rachel is that I’m not going to bail on her. I want her to know that this is on my own accord. But is there going to be anyone for me in the end? Kate? Max? No… the minute she sees Chloe, her priorities going to change. The real color in everyone will show. I don’t know what I’m doing in this timeline anymore. Maybe I should have gone back… before I see the honest truth in everyone._

Chloe looks over at her best friend for a short moment, then returning back to the road, gripping uneasily on the wheel. She sways her head side to side, as the churning of her stomach is reverberating throughout her body, “How did Rachel die in the future? You said she got murdered by the teacher?”

Rachel looks over the bluenette, a quiet gasp escapes her breath, seeing the punk is starting to have some belief in all of this. Kind of mirrors back when she had that discussion with Chloe at Two Whales in her own timeline, that she has time travel powers to save William. _It is either Mark or Nathan killed Rachel. But who knows?_ “Rachel was kidnapped. She got betrayed and drugged by Nathan Prescott, who was a good friend of hers.” Chloe hunches her body forward, almost like she is losing her weak grip on the wheel. Rachel continues, “Before you say anything Chloe… yes, it was a mistake to hide everything from you. Then the teacher continued to drug her, and exploited her body to take pictures. But then she died from an overdose of the drug.”

Kate straightens her posture, allowing Rachel to get an easier view past her. She picks up where Rachel left off, “They buried her body in the junkyard. For six months, she was underneath the very place you guys used to hang out. Both you and Max found Rachel’s body in a different timeline.” She dips her head, interlocking her own fingers, “You were very devastated. I know you loved Rachel.”

“Mm-hmm.” She hums lightly but obviously trying to hide her sadness, as deep down inside she is being torn apart. “But she doesn’t love me back.”

Rachel shifts her weight, facing the punk, “Rachel made a mistake.”

Chloe rolls her eyes, “Yeah? So what? You’re going to take over her body and try to give me some lovin’?” She takes her eyes off the road, to give a slight glare with her teary eyes, “I don’t need your damn pity.”

“Please, Chloe.” Rachel’s tone remains soft, “I knew you in my timeline, too. You were awesome and full of life. And to see you all grown up with your awesome father...”

“My father?...” She clenches her teeth, digging her nails hard into the steering wheel. “Fuck you for talking about things that I cannot have.” She lets out a soft anguished cry, “Was I not as big of a fuck up in that timeline?” Her fuming breaths become heavier, “Tell me.”

The blonde shakes her head, “Just different path. Like me and this Rachel. We’re just different path.”

“So…” Chloe lets out a false chuckle, “I am just a fuck up that got left behind in this timeline...”

“So am I, Chloe.”

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Portland: Union Station

#### March 21th, 2013 12:11 PM

The three girls share a wooden bench in front of the railroad tracks. The train that Max is on sails into the station, with the brakes squeaking loudly, as it drags the train to a complete halt. Huge plumes of white smokes twist it ways up into the air. The chattering of the PA speaker crackles loudly above them, yet the words are still incomprehensible. Streams of people swarm throughout the platform, waiting for the upcoming trains.

Rachel leans forward, looking at the bluenette who is on the other end of the bench, with Kate in between them, “Chloe, I’m very sorry about everything.”

Chloe scoffs loudly to account for the noisy chattering of the surroundings, “Well, my best friend went all cuckoo by some alternate timeline bullshit. So, I just have to rely on my old best friend that ditched me years ago, for a sane companion. Maybe...” She pulls her legs up onto the bench, wrapping her arms around her knees, “At least until the Rachel I actually loved come back.”

Rachel says no more, as her body grows weak from the bitterness being directed towards her. For the millionth time, she feels absolutely hopeless with everything in her life. The dread in her body finally emerges to the surface, and the impending doom awaits from the train in front of her. She gets up from the bench and begins storming away. Not sure to where, but anywhere else.

Kate launches herself from the bench, sprinting after to catch her, “Rachel, where are you going?”

Rachel looks at Kate, then at the punk, who is actually looking back with wide eyes, actually some slight concerns and regrets in her harsh words. Still, the blonde’s body fidgets, in need for some time to herself, before something bad happens. “Stay there, Kate. I need some fresh air.”

Kate squeezes the girl’s arm little harder, “Rachel, are you okay? Please, tell me.”

Rachel’s voice is stern, holding her hand up, “Kate, I don’t want to scare you. But I really need some time to clear my mind, okay?” Releasing the grip and taking a few steps back, “You’re a sweet girl. But please…” She turns around and cut through the crowd in the platform.

Kate gazes blankly at the girl that is drifting among the crowd. “Okay, Rachel.” She says softly, even though no one can hear her words.

Rachel walks through the crowd, pushing her legs hard in her long strides as she passes through the crowd. There is a bridge that crosses over the train tracks, that is meant for pedestrians to cross over to the other side of the platform. She scrambles her way towards it. As she pushes through the crowd, she sees couples and family members announcing and giving their goodbye kisses to their loved ones. Somehow the touching scenes leave a razor ice shard that expands deeply in her guts.

The sounds of the noisy train station suddenly dissipate completely as everyone becomes absolutely mute. The only sound is the sound of her tennis shoes clanging against the concrete floor. The world is quiet and feels rather serene. No more chattering. No more lies. Just herself.

Rachel arrives at the base of the bridge, looking up the flight of steps that is surprisingly free of other people. A sudden energy propels her legs forward, dashing up the stairs, where the only sounds is the clanging of her shoes against the metal surface. 

Up on the metal footbridge, there are not that many people, as she moves right to the middle part of the bridge, and finally stopping to enjoy the view. She leans forward over the railing, looking down at the two railroad tracks, as one of them is occupied with the train that arrived from Seattle, and the other track is vacant for the time being.

Being up above everyone feels rejuvenating, as her mind is free of noises. Her thoughts are clear on what she has to do, and what she has to prepare. For once, the feeling of being alone is actually great. _This is nice… It is very peaceful…_

#### Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber

#### Portland: Union Station

#### March 21th, 2013 12:13 PM

Max steps out the train, rolling out the luggage in one hand, and carefully holding her pink prom dress in her other hand. She scans around the platform but easily spots the blue hair of her best friend, as well as the hair bun of Kate right beside her. Both of them already spotted the brunette in the simplistic gray hoodie jacket.

This is the girl that she has endured several timelines to save. She couldn’t do it with her own abilities, but she is finally alive with Rachel’s powers. Max looks on with a fixed gaze, dragging her weightless legs like she is with her luggage. _She’s alive. She is actually alive! There are no consequences, right?_ She quickens her pace, trying not to stumble as she moves to them, “Chloe…” Her heart is racing, energizing the rest of her body, “Chloe!”

Chloe looks back weakly, “Max…”

Max throws her body at her friend but being careful not to press the hanger against her. “I miss you so much!” She digs her face into the brown jacket of Chloe, breathing deep in her ashy cigarette smell. _This is the person I need to protect. The most important person in my life. She is absolutely everything to me._

“Hey hey…” Chloe wraps her arms feebly and with a lack of enthusiasm, around the smaller brunette girl, gently pressing her head into her hoodie. This is very awkward for the punk to stomach.

Max gently releases, looking deep into her blue eyes. Not wanting to break eye contact with her, but she can’t help but notice the blonde girl with red puffy eyes right beside her. “Kate!” The hipster is also happy to see her, but not in the state she is in. Her smile quickly turns to a frown, “What’s wrong?” She looks between the two girls, as there is a brooding silence between everyone. “What happened?”

Kate remains silent, crossing her arms, sniffing her nose, trying to remain composure. Chloe looks over at her, with eyebrows dipping low, “I’m sorry, Kate.”

The fragile blonde girl blinks her eyes, finally shedding the stubborn tears down her face. “No, it’s fine.”

Max looks between the girls again, stunned at the mixed signals they’re exchanging. “Where’s Rachel?”

Chloe covers her mouth with her hand. She talks through it, despite being muffled, “I still can’t believe you know, Rachel… How the f-?”

A sting to her spine immobilizes the brunette, weaving down to her legs. The joy has already left her body, “Where is she?” She asks again, boiling with deep concern.

Kate rushes to her, patting down Max’s shoulder, “Rachel just needed some time to herself. She standing up there on the footbridge.” She points at the metal bridge that overlooks the tracks. “Talk to her, Max. Please.”

Max looks up the bridge that is some distance away. She spots Rachel as a lone silhouette as the sun casts its rays in between the clouds of this outdoor portion of the train station. _Rachel…_

A brooding void expands in her belly just looking at the dreary figure standing on top of the bridge. Her head turns to the side, with Kate and Chloe also looking at the very same person. It feels far more secure to be among these familiar and friendly faces. People she could trust. And possibly people she truly cares about. Up there with Rachel, is a totally different story.

Max takes a courageous step forward, but her legs still feel rooted to the spot. She looks over again at the sweet angel by her side, that is sobbing with red puffy eyes. _Only reason Kate can be crying is because of Rachel. And, that Chloe said something to make her so upset that she had to break away from the group. Or perhaps, Rachel is afraid to see me…_

“Chloe…” The brunette calls to her best friend, not lifting her distant gaze at the lone figure.

“Yeah, Max?”

“Can you hold onto my dress?” She extends her hand out.

“Sure, Max.” Chloe grabs the dress by the hanger, taking a good look at the beautiful pink dress. “I didn’t think you’re into wearing dresses, now. Cute dress.”

“I’m not into dresses.” The hipster replies back nonchalantly, “It was going to be my prom dress. But I’m going to prom anymore.” Kate looks back unsteadily at the brunette, with a gaping mouth. She remembers the story of how Max got left out from senior prom in the previous timeline. Her date ditched her and how painful that memory was to her.

“What?” Chloe lifts her inquiring and quivering eyes back up.

“Give me a moment with Rachel, okay?” Max’s voice carries softly through the air.

She rolls up her luggage to the kind angel. Kate takes it from her, sliding her other hand across Max’s shoulder for comfort and support, “Go on, Max...”

Max nods softly and begins jogging her way through the crowd of the station. The clumsy hipster is surprisingly sharp and agile, dodging the people and the huge pieces of luggage they are dragging. She sprints up the stairs, joining the bridge with the blonde that is leaning in a slack manner, against the railing that goes up to her shoulders. She hurries to Rachel, interlocking their arm tightly. Not letting go.

“Hey, Max…” Rachel gazes distantly into the sky, where the two white moons hang between the clouds in the morning sky. “You don’t have to hold onto me. I’m not going to jump.”

Still keeping her strong grip, Max leans in close, nuzzling into her red plaid jacket, “Rachel…”

The beautiful blonde looks over at her best friend from a different timeline, twisting her lips into a forced smile, “But… I still like that you’re holding me back. Makes me think that you care about me.”

The hipster dips her head up, revealing her face, “I do care about you, Rach.”

Seeing her beautiful face, tightens Rachel’s throat, digging up the past memories she has with Max, as well as her counterpart in the other timelines. Good ones and bad ones. “When I do go back to my timeline, will you still hold me back from jumping? Do you know yourself in the other timeline well enough?” She forces a chuckle through her heavy throat, “Sorry, stupid question.”

Max blinks slowly, as the sorrow is also clawing into her chest. “Rachel, how am I in your timeline?”

“Well, you could take off with anyone you wanted. Anyone. Just like right now.” Rachel’s eyes shift nervously to the side, unable to maintain her gaze anymore. “I don’t know why you are up here with me when you can be with Chloe and Kate.” She looks back to the sky at the two moons, seeing one of them flicker like a ghost, “You can leave me, Max. I’m no longer use for you anymore. You got what you needed. In both timelines.” She leans forward, resting her head on her arms, nuzzling and tilting it to face the brunette with fatigued eyes, “I’m tired, Max...”

Max leans in closer, still maintaining her tight grasp. With her other hand, her fingers tremble, as it slides slowly across the back of her plaid jacket, “Tired? What do you mean?”

“All these timelines and all my powers… I don’t know who I am. I don’t have a home, anymore. I’m sick of running away.” She blinks rapidly, taking a soft inhale, looking up at Max while still buried into her own arms. Her strained voice gets softer, barely above a whisper, “I’m ready to finally go to sleep, Max.”

Max tightens both her arms, switching to more of a hug from the side. “No…” Her voice squeaks as the tears are slowly forming in her eyes. “Rach, I don’t even know where I belong, either.”

She chuckles softly, “You belong here, Max. With all your family and friends.” Her eyes look past Max, trying to see if she can spot Kate or Chloe somehow. “The people you love. The people that actually love you back.”

“No… if you think I’m content with this life.” Max’s face strains with melancholy, quivering softly, “I’m not…” Her voice squeaks, “I’m not…”

Rachel widens her eyes, her eyebrows pinch together, “Why?”

Max grips Rachel, tugging her body up, so she is looking at each other at eye level. She looks all over at this beautiful girl, yet how deeply broken she is. Her hazel eyes are void of any life or hope. Max wets her lips, “Seeing your eyes, I can sense how much pain you’re going through. To have the powers to give hope to people... But unable to find hope for yourself... You’re someone I barely know, yet I love you so much.” She wraps her arms around her, holding with stiff arms for this moment. “I want to spend our time together. Help each other out. Cry together. And laugh together.” She lets out a soft laughter but it quickly tapers off into a gloom quality, as tears stream down her cheeks. "If you're not happy... then I'm not going to be happy."

Rachel’s eyes tremble with the touching words from this girl. The girl that could have left her, just like in her own timeline. She runs her fingers up the photographer’s sides, playfully lifting up her hood to cover her head, then gently brushing it, like she is combing her hair through the hoodie. “Max…”

Max’s breaths quicken as well, maintaining her smile through her suffocating emotions. Her voice is soft but sweet, “Let’s find our way home. Together. Okay, Rachel?” She blinks her eyes, sending another set of tears down her face, before dipping in close to press her lips against Rachel’s for a kiss. She tugs on the plaid jacket tightly with her fingers, as their lips roll against each other for a short tender moment. They finally release from each other for a short gasp.

A longer groan slips out of Rachel, yearning for more, but still satisfied with the affectionate moment in the lesser traffic but still public area. They both smile at each other. Footsteps come pattering up to them, along with the sound of the wheels of a rolling luggage.

Kate who is holding Max’s luggage slips herself between the two, “Rachel…” She snakes her available arm around Rachel’s, squeezing her tightly for a hug. She presses her warm and puffy cheek against hers.

“Kate…” Rachel relaxes her eyes, relishing the moment for this adorable girl before they release their face from each other. She looks ahead seeing the punk with twisted lips, that is lingering in the back with her hands tucked in her pockets. Chloe looks back with her steady azure eyes, that has some slight redness in it. 

Despite the warming touches she has been given, Rachel’s voice is raspy at the sight of this blue-haired girl, “Chloe…”

Chloe traipses slowly towards the warm group, stopping behind and in between Kate and Max. Her body is bouncing slightly, trying to be in a cool and suave way, but it is clear she is nervous. Her eyes blink rapidly in contact with Rachel’s hazel eyes, but it dips to the side, as she can’t maintain eye contact any longer. Instead, she stares absently into the distant view, giving a subtle nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out art from BigBear2nd. It is from the ending of this chapter.  
> [Link](http://bigb3ar-2nd.deviantart.com/art/Find-Our-Way-Home-694471015)
> 
> Author's Note: I published the chapter very very late so didn't have the energy to even write an author note at the time. So I'm going to write one now.
> 
> Thanks to Bard, I did make a correction to make it more "canon". Chloe's truck doesn't have a backseat but has a connecting seat in the middle. So I fixed it so Kate is sitting in the front.
> 
> So this was a very very long chapter. I know I normally have long chapters, but this was creeping close to 14k words. I actually was going to end it sooner. Basically, when Max hops off the train and sees only Chloe and Kate, I was going to end it there, even though it is already 12k words by then. But I feel it was necessary to add the last part where Rachel and Max meet together for a more "proper ending" instead of a cliff hanger.
> 
> Well, I made more use of the mature theme in this chapter. xD With a nice tender moment between Chloe and Alt Rachel. I didn't go all out with them, while the emotions are strong and racing through their minds, they are still a little wary of their own actions and not wanting to go TOO far. Simply, they're not ready. Alt Rachel, while she a little older and more of a tease with her body/affection, she still a bit of timid person. So, I made the scene... the way it is. :) Still steamy, I thought.
> 
> Kate is kind of a dork and bubbly personality. You can say she kind of the more 'fluffy' character in this otherwise gloomy story. She has kind of silly interactions with Rachel, being teased by her, but they still care and protect each other.
> 
> For Chloe, this is kind of her first real chapter to introduce her as a character, (finally, huh?) although she is briefly seen at the end of the last chapter. While in the game there are hints about Chloe and Rachel past, it is open to speculations with many things. I definitely took a route where Rachel and Chloe were really best friends. With the loss of Max, Chloe will 'cling' on just about everything. So, she developed a stronger romantic interest in her. Getting close to Rachel's death (around this time in Twin Moons), Rachel is kind of detaching away from Chloe. So currently Chloe is a bit resentful but still deeply in love with Rachel.
> 
> The letter that Chloe reads, as stated by Kate is the same one that got tossed in the junkyard in the hideout. Most of it is crossed out especially in the beginning. Now, really it could have been "anything" in the crossed out area. While the letter is clearly about Jefferson, the 'visible parts' of the letters are mainly about Rachel hesitant and worried Chloe would blow up. So, I believed the crossed out part is a little bit more of that, but also throwing in "He's a teacher at Blackwell Academy". 
> 
> Rachel is realizing, more and more people joining the fray the "less control" she has, and more she has to rely on and trust others. Chloe, by the end of the chapter, is baffled and confused on how she should be acting or reacting to all of this. Her old childhood friend that has abandoned here, suddenly shows up, alongside with someone she loves. But this person she loves isn't really "her". 
> 
> The final scene for Max and Rachel, I'm actually glad I added in this chapter. Even if it jacked the word counts up to crazy chapter length. I did it in Max's POV to show how much she just desires to see Chloe but then seeing she is probably the only one that can help comfort Rachel's chaotic mind.
> 
> Overall, I was pleased with the chapter. I was a little skeptical at first, when I was writing the smutty part, I was thinking... "okay, where is this going?" I can never be sure if 'smutty scenes' are well-received or absolutely frown upon. But then, when I started polishing everything afterward all the emotions fell into the right places. It felt more natural as my writing.
> 
> And Happy New Years!


	25. Far Beneath The Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first name listed will be that character's POV. For example "Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber", will be from Max's POV.

#### Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber

#### Portland: Pine State Biscuits

#### March 21th, 2013 12:47 PM

The rusted washed out cream colored pickup truck pulls to an available parking spot on the curb of a small side street of Portland. Chloe and the three girls hop out of the rickety old truck, as the unspoken silence continues to brew among the girls, especially the reckless punk, who hasn’t said much other than being a chauffeur from the train station. 

The girls approach the building on the intersection that has its exterior walls, alternate between a brown and light tan color pattern. “Is this the place?” Kate asks, turning around the corner, then screeching her white tennis shoes to a sudden halt on the concrete, as her jaw drops opened. There is a line of people that spills out of the front door, stopping right in front of the church girl. “This place is packed!”

Max sneaks up to the hair bun girl from behind, guiding her body with her arm. They both take a curious peek inside, confirming their suspicion. “Damn… that’s a lot of people.” A table sparkles in their vision, with its four vacant chairs around it. “There’s an opened table right there!”

They both scramble for the table, deterring any poor patrons that were approaching that very same table. The blonde girl quickly seats down in one of the chairs to officially claim it, letting in a blushing grin of guilt to her undeserving victory.

Max doesn’t join Kate but instead leans against the chair right beside hers. “What do you want? I’ll order for you.”

Kate looks past the cashiers seeing three black billboards, littered with white chalk-like texts of all the menu items. “Mmm… Let’s see.” Her wide eyes toss back and forth between the overwhelming amount of selections. She tips her nose up, peering at the various occupied tables with their half-eaten foods, hoping to get her belly to be inspired with some cravings, even though Kate wouldn’t know the name of the item anyways. She returns back to the menu, “This one sounds funny… but maybe the ‘Chatfield Biscuit’ sounds good? And a small fountain drink.” She opens her bag, pulling out a single bill, and handing it to Max, “Here’s a ten.”

Max takes the money, “Alright. Sit tight, Kate.” She pats playfully on her hair bun, causing a radiant smile to squeeze from Kate. _That smile… that’s the Kate I love to see._ A flush of heat sails up the brunette, as she crouches down slightly, to be at a closer eye level to Kate. “Your smile… always bring hope in me and everyone around you.”

Kate squeezes her eyes closed for a moment, rounding her cheeks from her even greater smile than before. “Because you have given hope to me as well…”

The brunette returns with her own smile, leaning in close for a single arm hug, as the back of the chair impedes a full embrace. This is Max’s first time having a one-on-one talk with Kate since the huge time leap back. She whispers softly, “I’m so happy, you’re here with me. All of us… we’re here.”

“Mm-hmm…” Kate squeaks softly in agreement, before gently releasing each other. She runs her fingers along Max’s back, “I’m ecstatic about it. But... if you can... please go talk to Rachel.”

Max looks over her shoulder to make sure the other two girls aren’t eavesdropping on this. “Thank you so much for going straight to Rachel last night.” She brushes the back of her head nervously, “You’re not a time traveler but you took more actions than I have.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re a team on this.” Kate lets out a wild smile again, but it subsides to a pressed lips. “I didn’t think about the current date… but I’m glad to be there after Rachel dealt with Jefferson.”

Max hisses softly, wincing at the thought that she put Rachel through all of that. “Shit… I know.” She looks back again, at the entrance of the restaurant, with a new goal in mind, “I’ll talk to Rachel.”

Kate nods softly, giving a gentle pat of encouragement, “Yeah…”

Max gives one last smile before standing back up on her legs, heading back out of the door. She wedges in between the people in line, making her way back to where the other two girls are waiting, who are leaning against the wall with crossed arms. “Hey, Chloe…” She greets her bestie, but then shifting her attention to the blonde girl beside her. Despite having an intimate moment on that footbridge at the train station earlier, everything has reverted back to a rather unpleasant state. Mainly, due to the unfriendly and unwelcoming aura from the bluenette. “Could you please give me a moment with Rachel?”

The punk’s stern blue eyes glow incredulously, as she lazily presses her tongue against the back of her teeth. Max cringes slightly, instantly regretting her request. “You want a moment with Rachel?” Chloe’s lips open, slipping out a scoff with a burst of heat. “Seriously, you ditch your best friend for over four years, and you want to have a fucking one on one talk with…” She lets out another disapproval puff of air, pointing at Rachel like she is too worthless to even bother with eye contact, “...her?!”

“Alright…” Max presses into twisted lips, “Chloe, let’s go talk, then.”

“No!” Chloe pinches her eyebrows sharply together, with a repulsive face. “I don’t need your damn pity.” Her voice is raised and rage spilling into it, as some of the surrounding people are giving quick and uneasy glances at them. “You guys are still wringing me by the neck with all of this.” She gives a short pause, glaring back, “Hello! I’m fucking lost with this stupid shit. Cut me some slack.”

“Rachel…” Max points weakly at the silent blonde, “...has been very helpful with all of this. I know you called Rachel _your angel_ , but this Rachel from a different timeline is absolutely the same thing.” Although Max has toughened up from her experiences with the _hell week,_ she still has trouble dealing with the explosive nature of her best friend.

“Angel?” Chloe squeezes a sarcastic laughter out of her throat, darting her eyes between her two _best friends_. “I don’t know what the hell is going on between you two…” A sly smile emerges on her face, “But… you wanna know what disgusting acts _this_ Rachel was doing with me earlier today?” Max stiffens her posture boldly, but remaining silent and steady with her expression. Rachel, however, hunches over, with a slight shuddering to her head. Recalling the shameful moment she had with the punk in her room. The bluenette looks over to the blonde, sensing the uneasiness emanating from her. Then, Chloe’s eyes sail back to Max, remaining subdued with her threat.

“I can hear you guys yelling from inside,” Kate marches out, cycling a scolding look between the girls.

Max steps back, peeking inside the restaurant, “Kate, someone just took our table.”

Kate shows no expression of any disappointment in the failure of her duty. She looks back between Chloe and Rachel, stepping close to them, in a rather confrontational way. “I’m sorry about losing our table… but could you please stop fighting?” Her eyebrows dip down, lips quivering softly with her short breaths. Chloe quickly recognizes this look from before, conceding with her own softening expression, not wanting to cause Kate to cry again like back at the train station.

Max snakes her arm around the sweet angel, curbing that boiling sorrow from reaching her throat. “Kate… it’s cool.” She glares at her best friend, “Chloe… _Now_ can we go talk?” She pokes her head towards the dining area of the restaurant, “We can look for a new table. Kate, could you stay here with Rachel?” She hands the angel, her money back.

Kate takes the money, nodding silently and waddling her way up to Rachel. Max grabs Chloe by the arm, dragging her out of the line and into the restaurant, that is booming with hungry patrons. The roasting smell that fills the air with a sweet spell that can incite the watering in anyone’s mouth.

The two girls stand tall in the center, scanning the tables to keep track who seems like they’re about to finish. They both cross their arms, craning their heads for the next table to swoop in for themselves.

“So uh…” Chloe rolls her eyes nervously, clearing her throat and the tension in the air, “How’s Vanessa and Ryan doing?”

Max stops her search, finally focusing on this private moment with her best friend, whose eyes are staring off absently to one side of the room. The brunette drowns in the deep fathom of the ocean in Chloe’s gorgeous eyes, leaving her almost breathless in how cool and beautiful she looks. She is wearing something that mirrors closely what she wore in _that_ week, but a different color. A dark brown jacket with a deep navy blue cropped top, that hangs low to reveal the top part of her black bra that sends a fluttering into the brunette’s tightening chest. The warm flush plumes up her throat, blooming her skin. _Her clothing style is exactly what I remembered… and that glimpse of her bra... Ugh… why am I paying more attention to these things now? Max, get a grip, you horndog._

“Uh… earth to Maxine?” She dips down examining the shorter girl’s dreamy eyes.

Max gasps to break her breath from captivity, “Sorry… Chloe.” She blinks rapidly, concentrating on the time she lost in that brief blushing moment, “Umm… those are nice… I mean!...” She squeaks in embarrassment, squinting her eyes closed to scramble her thoughts into proper words. “... I mean they’re doing fine. Yeah!”

Chloe snorts out a laugh, “That’s good. But yeah yeah… It is just my bra sticking out.” She tugs her strap up, uncovering more of her bra that sends more tingling sensation down the observing brunette’s abdomen. Chloe doesn’t take notice of this, as she lets out chuckle through her tightly pressed lips, “Just a style I have… things have changed a bit.” She taps her short hair with a forced polite voice, “My hair is rocking blue now.” She clears her throat, gazing at her blank-faced best friend, giving her a playful shove to the shoulder to break the stony expression, “But… then again you are all leaving me in the fucking dark with some weird shit.” She puts both her hands on her hips, rocking them a little bit, “Like damn, it’s been over four years. At least toss me a bone.”

Max’s eyes drift down to the punk’s abdomen section, gazing deeply and getting lost in the dark blue fabric. A moist spot seeps in her shirt, growing with darkness, sending a warm tense in her face that is different from her earlier flush. With a blink of her eyes, the darkness disappears as if it was a temporary vision defect. _Was my mind playing a trick on me? Trying to remind me of what happened in the past? That Chloe got shot in the stomach…_ “Chloe…” She mutters faintly, feeling some tingling of sweat, gushing out of the pores on the back of her neck.

“Max… what in the world are you staring at?” Chloe darts between the brunette’s eyes and the targeted areas she was staring at before. “You look like you were salivating at something, but now you look absolutely frightened.”

“Chloe…” She says her name weakly again, feeling a slight lightheadedness that trickles a shudder down her neck.

“Hey, come here…” Chloe reaches out to her, one hand grabbing her shoulder, and the other hand supporting Max’s waist. “...are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The dodgy hipster takes a deep breath to expand into her lungs, to straighten her posture back up. “I love your style… and your blue hair is fucking awesome.” She forces out her enthusiasm, remembering she has to rebuild everything with her relationship with Chloe, as everything has been reset. In hope, that her bonding will be smoother this time. She won’t have her time powers to correct any social mistakes she is going to make, but instead rely on her improved confidence and knowledge. However, this is a brand new untraveled path in her life, taking six months prior, with another time master Rachel and the sweet angelic Kate.

“Well, I’m glad _someone_ likes my blue hair. Rachel also loves my hair… erm loved it. Before she suddenly went cuckoo or whatever...” Her voice drifts off along with her eyes.

“Chloe, before I tell you everything… I’m so sorry about ditching you.” She boldly holds her friend’s hands, interlocking their fingers, squeezing tightly and staring deep into her eyes, “I was a coward, and that is all to it. I got scared, and didn’t even think about the hard times you were going through.”

Chloe widens her eyes, quivering her lips slightly. Her bitter attitude is partially stunned, “Umm… yeah. You are...”

“I know…” Max shakes their locked fingers in agreement, “Because what I did to you, deep down inside I never really felt proud of anything about myself anymore. I’ve lost trust in myself. If I can’t even keep you as my friend, then who do I even deserve in this world?” She lets out a soft anguish cry, thinking how much this person, right in front of her, means to her. During their exhausting week-long adventure, she didn’t have much time to really dive deep with her thoughts with Chloe, despite having her doomed time travel powers. “I know it is late but I want to make things right.” She stretches their hands down, leaning her body close, whispering to her, “I didn’t realize it at the time when you told me that you loved me, back in that day outside the health clinic, before I left for Seattle. But now I know… that I also loved you back then… I’ve always had.” Her voice is sincere, while her mind is a mixture of confidence and slight regret of possibly expressing her emotions too soon.

Chloe blinks slowly, her eyebrows arch weakly. Reminding of that day where her mind collapsed, seeking for anyone to save her but only to find no one. And, to finally know now, that her feelings were reciprocated by her best friend. “Max…” She looks over the shorter girl’s head, deflecting the warmth that is beaming at her, “Hey, those people are leaving, let’s grab it.” She releases their grip and hurries across the restaurant to a small family of four that are leaving.

Max dips down her head, relishing her hand with the fading heat left by Chloe’s touch, “...Right…” She sways around sluggishly, following her.

“Hey, are you guys leaving?” Chloe taps her nails in a repeated cascading rhythm on the metallic textured table, interrupting the family.

“Yeah, we are. Just let us clear this…” The father of the family picks up the remaining trash on the table as his family already evacuating from the table. “...and it is all yours!”

“Thanks!” Chloe sits down, leaning back in a relaxed position, lifting up a single knee, pressing it against the edge of the table.

Max joins her in the seat right across from her, but before her butt grazes the seat, she freezes to the facial expression that Chloe is giving her.

“Sit next to me…” Chloe shifts her eyes to her left, at the empty adjacent seat beside her. “I don’t want that weirdo next to me.”

Max straightens her body back up, looking above Chloe and across the room, to Kate and Rachel who has made good progress in the line already. Kate pouts her lips in a playful and teasing manner, while Rachel absently stares at the back of the blue haired girl. _Rachel looks so sad. Something happened between her and Chloe today. Just before I got here. I have to calm Chloe down._ The hipster forces out a grin, pretending to ignore the blonde’s stony look, as she shifts her body around the table to sit in the chair beside Chloe.

“Thanks, Max.” Her eyes drift over making contact through the strands of her blue bangs. She resumes the conversation, “But when you were in Seattle, a little text or call would have been nice.”

“I know. I fucked up…” Max maintains her bold eye contact, not even flinching to her mistakes as she is determined to rekindle her friendship amiably, again. And then some more. “I’m so happy that you’re here…” She reaches to grab Chloe’s shoulder, “To know that you were hurting yourself… and I didn’t even know about it. I am supposed to be your best friend…” She shakes her head, sinking downwards slightly, as the overwhelming guilt is crushing her will, “...it kills me on the inside.”

Chloe holds up her hand, “Max… okay… sorry to stop this mushy moment. But what secrets do you know about me?” She shifts her body slightly, leaning her elbow on the back of the seat, “Seriously, it seems like the everyone and their mother and the alternate dimension know about all my fucked up thoughts and actions.”

“Chloe… I’m sorry there isn’t a better way to tell you this. I know you feel violated.”

Chloe lets out a scoff, blowing up her hair again, as she gets into a more relaxed position, despite her uneasiness. “Hella fucking violated…”

“Just serious bad shit happened in the future… And it started with Rachel…” Max wets her lips, hesitating on how she is going to word her next words, “...your new best friend that took over my spot. And, she had every right to be deserving of that title, because of what I did to you… And, I know you loved her.”

“Yeah sh-…” Chloe interrupts herself from a delayed reaction from that last sentence. She mutters quietly, trying to play it cool, “Fuck, you know that too?”

 _Chloe isn’t as hot-headed right now. I guess maybe she didn’t have the six months to build up that void of losing Rachel and being left alone by everyone in the world._ Max straightens her body, “Don’t be embarrassed. She’s an angel to you and protected you. And she’s beautiful…” Max smiles, easing the tension in the air, “You have every reason to love her.” Her words are selfless, respecting and acknowledging Chloe’s feelings during their fallout. She wants Rachel to be recognized as a savior to Chloe, when she couldn’t be there for her.

Chloe blinks slowly, stunned again from Max’s words. She rolls her eyes, letting out a snort of disgust, “Uh… yeah… until she started to bang a teacher.”

 _Shit…_ “You know that?”

Chloe pinches her brows together, wrinkling her nose, “Yeah… she’s fucked up. She has been acting all strange, especially this morning. So, I kind of dug into her purse and found this letter.” Her eyes shoot side to side, a little ashamed she had to do that with her own friend.

 _Letter? Is it the same one that I found in the trash can in their hideout in the junkyard?_ Max taps on her friend’s shoulder, despite Chloe is already giving her full attention, “Was the letter in blue ink and handwritten on a graph paper?”

“Yes…” The bluenette rolls her eyes, starting to feel tired of being surprised. She mutters quietly, “...so you fucking know it, too?”

 _Shit… Chloe must be fucking furious about finding out about Rachel’s relationship with Jefferson… erm… except she isn’t. But maybe because this Rachel defused it a bit earlier… along with Kate._ Max nods her head, remaining calm despite how painful and traumatic to recall the events from that dreaded timeline, “Yeah, I saw it in the ‘American Rust’. In your personal hideout.” She pulls her hand away, gripping tightly on her own jeans, “This was six months later… when Rachel was already long dead.” 

The anger gets stripped from Chloe’s face, diluting it with sorrow, “...Fuck… stop saying that. I don’t want to deal with any more deaths.” She blinks rapidly, trying to soften the welling of her eyes, “...I don’t want to hear it.”

“Believe me, I know.” Even though she is standing in front of her, the memories of losing her in the past still haunt her deeply. Almost like it could become real again. That this timeline may discover its own threat, leading to a new tragedy or much more. Max continues, “Rachel died in a few weeks, then you died six months later.” Max’s voice cracks under the straining pressure, “You died… with the thoughts of both of your best friends leaving you behind.” Her eyebrows quiver and her throat are attempting hard to squeeze out her own words. “And your rough relationship with David and Joyce. Everything…” Her voice becomes very faint, “Just the thought you had no one when you left this world...”

Chloe breaks eye contact, tipping her face up to try and keep the tears rooted in her eyes. For a while, she thought Rachel will be the new light to shine out the shadows in her head. But with Rachel slowly slipping away, Chloe can sense the sting of reality from Max’s words, “Okay…” Her voice is soft, “You have time powers. But you didn’t save me.” There is no resentment despite the wording, as she is showing some sympathy, “... can you show me these powers?”

Max blinks her eyes, finally shedding a single stream of tears, “No, I can’t Chloe.” She wipes the falling trail with the back of her hand, “When you first died, it was when I first discovered my powers. So I saved you with my powers at that time. Then, we had this week long adventure, where we were trying to search for Rachel. It was amazing to spend that time with you.” Her eyes drift over to the peaceful angel waiting in line, “Kate was bullied and actually took her own life. But I saved her.”

Chloe looks over at Kate, covering her mouth, “God…” She turns back to face her best friend, with narrowing eyes, “Who bullied her?”

Max sniffs her nose, “She got drugged the same way Rachel did. Except she didn’t get overdosed and she survived.” She catches a glimpse of Kate, who is looking back at her, making it unbearable to maintain eye contact. She sobs softly, “... before she got kidnapped, she did some things beyond her control because she was drugged. And the students were videotaping her and posted it on the internet.”

Chloe reaches the sleeves of her jacket, tugging it with force. She bites the inside of her bottom lip, “That is fucked up. I will beat the shit out of the person that did that to her.”

Max squeaks softly, “It’s okay… I will protect her, too.”

“Fucking right…”

Max continues, “So going back to our week together, we found Rachel’s body in the junkyard. And… also found out the teacher Mark Jefferson was the one that was behind Rachel’s disappearance and murder.” She bangs her hands against her thighs with growing frustration, “Then this fucking tornado came, and it was going to destroy the town. So it was either undo my time travel powers, leaving you to die or let the tornado destroy the entire town.” She lets out a distressing cry, burying her face in her hands.

Chloe quickly grabs her sobbing friend, giving a comforting hug. She didn’t have to hear any more as she can fill in the rest. “Max… it’s okay.”

Max pries her own hands from her face, then wrapping it around her friend. Chloe’s gentle and comforting voice provides the much-needed solace. “Seeing you alive makes me so happy.” She buries her face into Chloe’s shoulder, not at all caring of the public display she is giving, “So this Rachel… from a different timeline did all this for me. She rewound everything to six months back, before Rachel’s disappearance. Her powers are much stronger than mines.”

Chloe blinks rapidly, looking at the buried head on her shoulder, “Max… so tell me something.” She gently releases her, separating from each other, “I saw you kissing Rachel on the footbridge.” Max winces at her words. Chloe continues with a soft tone, barely louder than a whisper, “Are you in love with her? Or in whatever alternative timeline?”

“I’m…” Max fully releases her grasp, being very careful with her words. “It’s fucking complicated. Rachel… both Rachels actually have time travel powers. But maybe one of them possibly have more powers… including the ability to jump timelines…” She twirls her finger, pointing around the room, “Hence, the splash she can make with everything. Including this brand new timeline.” She wets her lips, giving a brief stare at her best friend, dreading a bit of what she has to say next, “So uh… originally, both me and Rachel were best friends since we were kids. But something happened, and she went back in time to erase me from her side.”

Chloe presses her lips with an incredulous stare, “No... fuck that. We were best friends. Only us.” She jerks her head, turning around, “Don’t let this fucking disgusting imposter-...” Her tongue halts at the sight of Rachel offering an empty fountain drink cup towards her. The colors in Max’s face also drains, as well. Rachel’s stare is stiff, as she heard the cruel words spewed from the punk. Chloe’s voice is soft, “Rachel…” She takes the fountain cup from her hand, then quickly removes eye contact from her.

The blonde time master slams another fountain cup in front of Max. All the muscles in the two sitting girls are frozen for a short moment. Rachel speaks in a false calm voice, “We ordered you guys a bunch of ‘Chatfields’. I hope that is okay.” 

“Yeah, I’m down for anything,” Max replies weakly.

Rachel puts her own empty fountain cup in one of the empty spots on the table, “I’m going to use the restroom…” She spins around before getting any response of acknowledgment, heading straight for the restroom.

“Rach…” Kate looks at the bitter blonde that storms past her. “Hey, hold on to this.” She sets her fountain drink and the numbered card holder at the center of the table, “I’ll check in with her.”

#### Rachel Amber & Max Caulfield

#### Portland: Pine State Biscuits

#### March 21th, 2013 12:59 PM

Rachel shoves the restroom door opened in frustration, as the cold damp air taints her boiling skin. She heads straight to the sink, rolling up the sleeves of her jacket so it doesn’t get wet from scattered puddles of water on the counter. She turns on the faucet, pumping some soap into her hands and letting it bathe into the warm water for a soothing sensation.

_I need some time to myself so people don’t see my own meltdown. Fuck… feels like my brain going to split into halves._

Kate enters the restroom, halting in place, with the door swinging back, right behind her, “Rachel…”

The time master doesn’t need to look up in the mirror to confirm who it is, “I’m okay. Just washing my hands.”

Kate scratches the sleeves of her jacket nervously, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Rachel turns off the faucet, reaching over the dispenser to pull out some paper towels to dry her hands. “I’m just having an existential crisis… Chloe just keeps calling me an imposter.” She chucks the wad of used towels into the nearby bin, “She just keeps wanting her Rachel back, and I feel guilty as fuck.”

“Well, that is expected from her… and she has to put that thought on hold for now.” Kate presses her lips tightly, marching close to her. She balls her fist, with a playful tough expression, “Rachel, remember all the things I’ve said last night? About not putting yourself down?”

Rachel’s voice is stern, finally reflecting with a question of her own. And she wants the truth, “Kate… be honest with me. I promise you, I won’t get mad.”

The church girl steadies her expression, gulping her throat, “Okay…”

Rachel tucks her hands into her pockets, “Are you frightened by me?”

Kate straightens her posture but her defense wavering internally by the abrupt question, “I’m…” She releases her fists, rubbing the back of her hair bun along with soft chuckle, “I was…” She drops both her arms, hunching her shoulder and pouting her lips, “Yeah… I am.”

Rachel nods to her words, “Okay…” She shrugs her shoulders in disappointment, even though she expected the response. She forces a positive response through her throat, “That’s perfectly fine.”

“Everything is so crazy…” Kate runs both her index fingers down along her necklace, tracing them down to meet at the cross. “I mean, please consider my background… All of this, I would never ever expect to be possible. And, to have several first-hand experiences with it.” She brings her hands down to her sides, twiddling her fingers in the musty air.

The other blonde turns her body around, leaning back against the restroom wall, “Do you see me as some sort of demon that can somehow conjure these powers?”

Kate raises her voice, correcting the question, “More like an angel, if anything. With all the philosophies and facts in this world… we cannot wrap our mind around everything that is out there.” She shrugs her shoulder nonchalantly, “It isn’t something comprehensible to normal people. I doubt there are any reasonable studies about time travel or multiverse.” She forces a nervous chuckle through her clenched teeth, “Then again… what is reasonable?”

Rachel observes the nervous conservative girl, that is trying hard not to offend and being objective. She sighs, “The only thing I… “ Her shoulders droop down, her mind becoming polluted with these ill thoughts, “I don’t know how to say this without making you think I’m angry. Because I totally understand…” Her eyes are still avoiding the curious stare from Kate, “That you guys are just playing along and pretending to be my friend because you’re terrified of me...”

“No…” Kate holds out her clenched fists in front. Despite showing display of composure, she is struggling internally to deliver her honest yet showing some tact in her words. “Like I said before, I am terrified of you. But even I’m a little anxious when meeting new people…” She pauses for a moment, nodding her head, “...and for this person to have all these powerful abilities.” She takes a bold step forward, grabbing both of Rachel’s hands, “I have to learn to ease up on this fear and remember that you are also an ordinary person that have feelings. That needs to be loved and cared for.”

Rachel smiles at the sweet and honest statement given to her, “Thanks, Kate. Stay true to your heart with anything. If I make you angry, please be angry at me.” She shakes her head slowly, maintaining her gaze, “Don’t give me any special treatments, okay?”

“You’re such an amazing person. I don’t think I can get angry with you with anything.” Kate smiles, “But I understand.”

“Well, you haven’t known me long enough, for me to fuck up.” The smile from Kate gradually spread to Rachel’s face as well, “But being around you, always make me smile.”

“Aww… thanks.” Kate coos with the compliment, “I’m glad I can get you to feel that way about me.” She releases her grip, to spread her arms wide, “Can I get a hug?”

“Oh, so you’re asking for a hug, now?” Rachel follows, also spreading her arms to wrap Kate, squeezing her tightly.

“Yep! I am…” Kate closes her eyes with her smile, humming in the warmth.

Rachel squeezes her eyes closed, letting the scent of the church girl seeps into her nose, calming the sting that was digging deeply into her mind. Feeling Kate’s chest heaving gently into hers, she slides her fingers across the blue cardigan, digging her fingers tighter. Kate doesn’t reject to this, as she can sense the needed comfort that the exhausted time master needs. Rachel whispers into her ear, “I feel like pieces of me, gets snapped back together whenever you hug me.”

“When I’m feeling down, a hug always cheer me up. My youngest sister Lynn, ran after me before I was leaving to Blackwell Academy last night.” She laughs, gently releasing their hold slightly but their faces are still inches from each other. “... she gave a goodbye hug and kiss. It’s super adorable.” Rachel’s eyes drift down to Kate’s lips, gazing deeply into it with warm cheeks and furrowed eyebrows. Her throat remains still from the absence of breath, other than the throb from the pounding of her heart. Kate’s eyebrows arch in response to the dreamy girl, “Mmm?”

Rachel blinks rapidly, as the air around her begins flowing normally again, “I just thought that was very cute... Your little sister seems wonderful.”

“Yeah, she is...” Kate gently releases her grip, finally separating each other, “So…” She looks at the door, and then returning back to the hazel eyes with a sunny smile, “...are you ready to go?”

Rachel nods, taking a deep breath to muster up her remaining strength and courage, “Yeah, let’s go.”

Both Kate and Rachel heads out the restroom, returning back to the restaurant. Chloe immediately takes notice of the two approaching girls, hushing Max, as both groups observe each other with eager eyes. Curious about what each other were talking about in their absence. 

Rachel picks up her fountain cup from the table with the brooding aura, as cool as she can, making her way to the drink machines and filling her empty cup with ice, first. She gazes at the choices, with her ear wiggling to the sounds of murmuring from Max.

Her eyebrows furrow, as she presses the cup into the lever of the machine with splashing red-pinkish juice, swooshing a stream into the cup. A flush of heat rises to her face, yet a sinking feeling that churns into her stomach. _They’re talking about me…_ She pulls the cup and cap it, returning back to the table with the three girls.

“Rachel… what drink did you get?” Max tips her chin up, pressing her lips into a smile for the blonde that is sitting across from her, right beside Kate.

“Oh, I got that strawberry lemonade.” She shakes the cup, rattling the ice cubes inside it.

Max continues, “I got Pepsi. What did you get, Kate?”

“Unsweetened iced black tea. With a slice of lemon.” Kate looks up to the girl right across from her, who is facing away with almost zero interest in the conversation, “Chloe?”

“Huh?” Chloe cranes her head lazily, as she has her knee up, resting against the table, and upon her seat. “Umm… just Dr. Pepper.” She mumbles under her breath, drifting her head back to her comfort spot of staring blankly at the wall.

“Nice…” Kate’s voice tapers away along with her smile. As all the conversational topics have finally been depleted from the four girls, rushing in a flood of silence. She slurps her tea loudly through the straw, that drags all the girls’ attention. “Sorry!” She squeaks.

* * *

“Yum, that was good.” Kate licks the smidge of apple butter remaining on her lips, then following with a wipe with a napkin. “Good choice on this place, Max.”

Max shrugs, wiping her greasy fingers on the small remaining clean section of her napkin, “I was just looking at the most popular places around Portland. Thanks for eating with me.” She grins at the two blonde girls, “I know you guys had breakfast already.”

Kate glows with her smile, “No, it’s fine, Max.”

“Yeah…” Rachel rests her chin on her knuckles, mumbling through it, “...it’s cool.”

Max pats her knees, squeezing them, “So, what now? Back to Arcadia Bay?” Saying the name of the town instills joy back into the void in her body, reminding that it is her _real current home_ in her mind. Not Seattle.

Rachel shifts her weight back on her seat, “Let’s head back. Maybe we should hit up… whatever this Frank guy?” She crosses her arms, recalling the conversation she heard earlier today about the drugs, “Nathan bought some drugs from him, maybe we can get some more information about it.”

The brunette’s eyebrows furrow, reminding everything last week is undone, with the huge trip to the past. Jefferson and Nathan are both still out there, drugging girls for their own amusement. Only thing is Kate isn’t drugged, possibly few other girls, and Rachel isn’t dead. “Rachel, you may not know this. But have you heard anything from Frank?” She clarifies slightly, “Like… is everything cool between you and Frank?”

“Of course. She’s cool with Frank.” Chloe boldly answers the question for her, finally turning around to face everyone. Her eyes dart between the two girls, “Unless you guys mean something else…” She steadies her gaze into the brunette, almost as if she can read Max’s thoughts from her eyes, “What is it? Say it...” Just the wording with everything invokes a strong suspicion into her.

“Umm…” Max rubs the front part of her hoodie.

Rachel blinks slowly, nodding her head, “Go on, Max.”

“Uhh…” The young photographer turns back to her best friend, her eyes almost already asking for forgiveness, “Chloe, I don’t really know how far back or forward in time this is.” She deliberately lingers from saying the inevitable.

“Spill it, sister…” Chloe whips her legs around the chair, so she is fully facing Max. Her voice is stern and unforgiving, “Quit beating around the bushes.”

Max’s eyes widen from the glare. Her heart is pounding hard against her chest, as she wets her lips, “Rachel is… maybe was…” She stiffens her posture, retreating a few safer inches back, “...in a relationship with Frank.”

Chloe looks back with her wide eyes, “I had a sick feeling but apparently I had too much faith in this world. And right behind my fucking back.” She glares at Rachel, “Playing with my heart, you dirty slut.” She gets up, kicking her own chair back with sudden force, leaving it wobbling but not collapsing backward. “Changing the past, huh? When it is already this fucked up? On whose fucking judgment? Seriously, fuck all of this!” She points her finger at the Rachel, hissing through her clenched teeth, “And you… whoever the fuck you are… get the fuck out of her body, right now!”

The sound of the room suddenly drowns into a grave silence, that you can almost hear the heart pounding furiously inside Chloe’s chest. 

Rachel glares back with flaring nostrils. _I had enough of this ungrateful shit. You’re alive, you dumb bitch._ “You know what? Fuck you, Chloe. You whiney and entitled bitch. So, you have problems? Guess what asshole… join the fucking club.” Rachel also pushes back her chair, propelling up on her feet and leaning forward, feeling the seething rage of air from Chloe. “If it weren’t for me, you would be bleeding your guts to death in a fucking restroom.” She chuckles puffing up some dangling strands of hair over her face, “... with your dying breath to know that everyone in the world can’t wait to drop your pathetic ungrateful punk ass.”

Kate mutters softly, “Rachel…” Despite trying to stop her, the church girl’s body winces against the frightening tension in the room.

“Really?...” Chloe reflects back with her own fake chuckle. “So… you claim to have all these fucking powers in the world…” She says in a mocking voice, “...you think you can just fucking control us? You’re a bitch and you will always be a bitch, in whatever fucking timelines.” She leans in even closer, “Do you really think Max and Kate actually give a fucking shit about you? Do you know what we were talking about behind your back?”

“Chloe, stop it…” Max slaps the back of Chloe’s thigh with force but the punk is unphased, maintaining her furious blue glare.

Kate squeaks weakly, “Don’t listen to her, Rachel. Remember what I said earlier.” 

Chloe tilts her head, wetting her lips and maintaining her unrelenting glower, “These girls are scared of you. But I’m fucking not… Go ahead… use your power and let me die… Do it, bitch...”

Rachel tilts her head up, returning back with her own glowering, “You’re just a dumb street punk with a dead father.” She shakes her head sardonically, “Maybe you’re not worth the bullet in your stomach. _This_ Rachel should have let you jump off that cliff on your 17th birthday.”

Chloe’s eyes shoot wide open, her head wavers, as her glare weakens. To recall that darkest moment in her mind when she was readied to take her own life but to be saved by this new angel in her life. But now, to hear that perfect and delicate moment to be tarnished by this imposter. She clenches teeth, “Fuck you!” She whirls her hand for a slap, but it angles downward, as her blue colored nails dig diagonally into Rachel’s neck.

Rachel hisses in pain, looking down but unable to see clearly the damage the blue haired punk has done. She can feel the shreds of skin displaced from the scratch, leaving a white trail of tiny flakes across her neck. The scratch isn’t deep enough to spill any blood but the sharp stinging pain is there. “Chloe… go fucking die...” She walks around the table, but Max stands up boldly blocking her advance. Rachel growls at her younger best friend counterpart, with a low voice, “Get out of my way!”

“Hey!” The manager of the restaurant paces quickly towards them, “You two…” He points at Chloe and Rachel. “Get out!”

“Beat off, dickface.” Chloe snarls, not removing her gaze from the halted blonde.

“I said…” The manager gets up to Chloe’s face, “...get out of here or I call the cops.” He yells at her, pointing out the door.

Chloe gives a quick glance at him, then rolls her eyes, “Whatever you blue ball… fuck this joint.” She scoffs, taking off to the door, as the stunned patrons make room for her.

“Chloe!” Max chases right after her. Rachel and Kate follow quietly, leaving the table.

“No…” The manager shouts at them, freezing Kate in her path. “...pick up your trash and then leave.”

Rachel pulls Kate’s hand, dragging her to resume walking. With her other hand, she sticks her middle finger up at the manager without looking at him, “Nah… it’s your job, fucker. Pick up that shit.” Her blood courses through her body, pumping the rage throughout it, ready to knock down that manager if he shouts again in her ears. However, he doesn’t say anything, other than a soft scoff.

All the girls leave the restaurant with the customers continuing to give a murmuring stare. Rachel clenches her fists tightly, digging her nails into her soft flesh, getting ready to fight Chloe, the minute she turns around the corner.

“What the fuck?!” Chloe yells on top of her lungs, “Someone broke into my truck.” The remaining girls speed to the driver’s side of the truck, seeing the rear side window is shattered, spilling glass onto the asphalt.

“What?!” Max swings around Chloe’s body, sticking her head into the smashed window. “No! My dress…” She groans in frustration, “And my luggage…” She looks around the street with urgency, seeing if it still nearby somehow. “Fuck! I left it in plain sight. I didn’t think about it. I’m so fucking stupid!” She buries her face in her hands sobbing softly, “Mom, bought me that dress… and I really loved it.”

Kate holds her hands against her chest, “What do we do? Can we call the cops?”

Chloe shakes her head, replying with bitter frustration, “Fuck, the cops ain’t gonna do shit.”

“Fuck…” Max digs her fingers into her scalp, weaving her fingers through her smooth hair, “This is awful!”

“Maybe the manager of the restaurant has cameras out here.” The church girl looks around the tanned colored brick-like pattern of the restaurant, seeing if she can spot a camera, “Maybe he can help us?”

“Shit…” Chloe digs her fingers into her pockets, curling her toes to a tiptop in her black boots, “I don’t know if I want to see that jerkoff, again.”

“Hey, Max...” Rachel finally walks up, gently whipping to spin Max for eye contact, “I’ll use my power to rewind, okay?” She looks at Kate but avoiding any chance of confrontation from the punk, “Don’t worry, I’ll rewind you guys, as well.”

The brunette blinks slowly, “Rachel…” Her voice trails off.

“Rachel, are you sure? You’re hurting yourself in your own timeline every time you use your powers here.” Kate dips her head down, grabbing her own wrist, “The wound you got from slitting your own wrist is opening more and more.”

Max’s eyes widen, “What?!? Shit… you mentioned it was taxing on your body. I didn’t think...” She grabs Rachel by both her arms, squeezing the fabric of the plaid jacket, “Wait! Don’t do it… I’ll just buy some new clothes. I have some money.”

“It’s fine, Max.” Rachel wraps her arm around her, playfully stuffing her head into the hoodie. “It just a little tiny pain… and I rather see you happy.” The blonde’s smile pinches her cheeks upwards.

Max also wraps her arms around the girl, “N-N-No… I’ll be fine. I’m happy… see?” She pushes her own but pitiful attempt of a weak smile back, “Happy…” Nodding her head, “I just want you to be okay.”

Rachel shakes her head with a soft laughter, “It’s not that bad. Trust me.” She hones her face closer, kissing her on the cheek, feeling the heat rise sharply in the brunette as well. Max’s lips quiver, gazing deep into the gorgeous girl’s hazel eyes, feeling each other’s warm breaths. Rachel whispers softly to her, “And I care about you. No matter what timeline.” She leans up, giving another quick peck on the forehead, feeling Max’s huffing breaths against her scratched neck. “I’m going to do it now…” She gently releases her grip.

“Okay…” Max nods softly, blinking rapidly as her eyes are starting to well up again from the affectionate moment.

Rachel holds out her right hand, as all the other girls watch her. A red sparkling flame erupts from her hand, expanding large to shroud the girls. The blonde looks over at Chloe who is staring back with blue doe eyes, with her mouth gaping opened with heavy breaths. Her furious expression has withered away entirely.

Rachel shifts her attention back to the red aura emitting from her hand, as everything whirls backward like rapid cascading patterns of colors. It quickly dies down to a disorienting abrupt halt, as the girls find themselves swaying their bodies back inside the restaurant. 

The table is empty, just with the numbered card holder and four fountain drink cups that are filled up, when the girls were all sitting awkwardly in silence.

“Woah… what the fuck?!” Chloe shakes her head still feeling dizzied. “Where are…” She interrupts her own question, observing the rest of the restaurant seems to be back normal again, with people eating their food and not drawing attention to the girls. “We went back? Where is our food?” She pinches her nose, feeling a scent of her pumping blood coming. Her pupils are constricted, and body is shuddering slightly from the reveal of the powers.

Rachel turns around trying to see the truck through the window but the sunlight blocking mesh curtains block it, “Maybe this is early enough?” She stands up, pushing her chair back, “Kate… Max… stay here. Let me confront the person. I don’t want you guys getting hurt.” 

The two girls look back with rapid blinking, as they are still shocked from their disorienting state. Max grabs Rachel by the wrist, “Are you sure? The person probably had a weapon to break the window.”

The blonde gently draws back, squeezing her slim hips around the table, “Don’t worry. I can handle myself.” She squeezes her right hand in the air, reminding about her time powers, as Rachel heads to the front door.

Her hands are still trembling, Chloe shifts her eyes back and forth, collecting her thoughts for her decision, “You two stay here. I’m going with her.” Rachel halts in place, letting the punk catch up to her. Chloe taps the blonde’s waist, joining her, “Let’s go…” She says with a bold expression but also with an absence of the rage that she had before the rewind. Rachel nods and they both hurry out the door, dodging the people in line, and dashing around the corner.

There is a guy wearing a blue cap with white t-shirt and skinny jeans, with a very suspicious behavior. He is peering through the window of Chloe’s truck, blowing a warm mist to collect onto the cool glass.

“Yo buddy, what’s up?” Chloe paces quickly right up to him. He jerks sharply to the voice, his body stumbling back a step. “Feeling the sudden horny urge to wear that pink dress?” Without any hesitation, the blue haired punk shoves him back with an intense force that he hits the ground with a muffled clang sound. She closes the distance up to his body.

He crawls back up, standing back on his unsteady legs, “What the hell is that for? I’m not doing anything.” He looks around cautiously, but the line of people are around the corner and out of sight. “Back the fuck up, bitch.”

“What did you say?” Chloe casually walks up close to his face, filled with anger. The rage and determination in her body have completely curbed the shock factor of the time travel trip for her.

“Move back, babe.” His voice is calm and sweet-talking, but Chloe puffs her cheeks in disapproval.

Rachel jumps in between them, shoving the guy back again. The guy drifts back casually with a smile as he scans the beautiful girl’s face and body in delight. Rachel looks on with a deathly stare, with energy coursing through her body. She throws a punch with her right arm, her small knuckles barely nipping against his jawbone.

“Woah… careful babe. You might hur-...” His tongue freezes as his own teeth crush sharply against it to a second punch from Rachel that lands squarely on his jaws, sending a smell of gushing blood into his dazed sense. His legs buckle weakly, almost toppling backward. He cannot even say anything with his numb tongue, as he retreats away with trembling legs. On the back of his jeans is a hammer that is dangling off a toolbelt, that was likely used to smash the window. He gives one weak attempt at a stare as he is lapping his tongue, still unsure if it is bleeding.

Rachel continues to glare back in silence at him as the guy slowly retreats away. Her fist is still clenched, with her knuckles still glowing from the punch. _Pathetic. I really wish he would fight back so I have an excuse to pound someone’s skull in._

Chloe walks up right beside the blonde sending the guy off with her traditional middle finger. Then she cranes to the side at her blonde friend, “Thieves just talk big but they’re just damn cowards. Maybe that guy’s skinny jean is constricting his balls, too.” She pats the girl’s shoulder with enthusiasm, “That was pretty bad ass!”

The brooding wind sweeps away the heat from Rachel, sending her down to a hunched position. Her long dirty blonde hair drapes down close to the ground. Her heart chokes for a single thunderous beat, as the echo courses through her shuddering body to her eardrums. Her blue star tattoo on her left wrist becomes a gush that leaks out a horrifying amount of blood that drips down to her fingers but freezes like dangling red crystalline structures. _Shit… not this again._

Her cold breath hangs like a stalactite beneath her frozen stare. The scene flickers into the dark dreary scene of Chloe’s backyard, with a small puddle of blood beneath her. Also, right beside her shoes is Rachel’s cell phone from her own timeline with an active screen and call. It says ‘Maxine Caulfield’ on it, with the call duration incrementing by the second. 

A sharp but shallow inhale pulls into her throat, as she blinks slowly at the phone, mesmerized by the shifting number to indicate that this is _real._ She steadily brings her fingers to caress the blue jay earring on her right ear, acknowledging her fear. She, then slides her index and middle fingers down to her neck, to find the gash that she scratched and ripped in her neck in her real timeline. _Shit… Am I back?_ Rachel crouches down, lifting the phone up to her ears. Her voice is soft and weak, “Maxine?” There is an eerie cold dreary presence on the other side to indicate the call is active, but there is no response.

She pulls the phone away for a second, lighting it up to reaffirm the call is still active. She presses it to her ear again, “Maxine… please come back to me. I’m sorry…” A cold sinking feeling drags her insides down, as she gazes absently ahead in the sea of darkness. The familiar desolate feeling is back, seeping into her soul. Still, there is no response from her former best friend.

Rachel sits down more comfortably in a kneeling position with her lifeless gaze. Her voice is weak with her straining throat, “Help me please…” Her eyes adjust, seeing the menacing silhouette of Chloe’s house, the backyard fence, and the gentle swaying leaves of the trees in the distant.

“Rachel!” A distorted voice can be heard from the phone, but not certain if it is even Chloe’s or Max’s. 

A rumbling wave in her ears slowly rises with intensity as a bright light blinds her, constricting both her pupils and her throat.

“Rachel…” Chloe’s calm voice can be heard among the white light. The blinding bright vision clears up, finding she is kneeling on the concrete road. Chloe is beside her and holding her, “Are you okay?”

Rachel calmly resumes her conscious breathing, tapping her right ear, to find that the earring is no longer there. The blue jay earring is back on the left ear in this timeline. Her voice is shaky and weak, “Chloe?”

“Hey…” The gentle punk’s eyes scan with curiosity, up and down her body and face, “You were out of it…”

“Was I?” Rachel takes another scan in her surrounding, again seeping in back this reality, “I’m on the ground…” She shifts her legs, finding she is in an identical position to the vision she just had. She must have been reenacting all the physical movements like in her vision.

“You look like you were holding a cell phone… and was talking on it.” Chloe’s expression is sympathetic, not at all wanting to ridicule her. “Saying…” She glances over to the side, seeing that the other two girls are still in the restaurant. “For Maxine… to come back to you. That you’re sorry… And that you needed some help…” Her eyebrows furrow, finally showing some seriousness in her face, “Rachel? Are you okay?”

The blonde’s eyes are spinning, as she shifts to the side to also look out for the two girls. “Chloe… don’t tell Max or Kate any of this…” _I can’t let them worry anymore about me._

The blue haired punk tips her head back up with a display of pride, “I’m going to tell them.” Her eyes glow with certainty yet also remaining sympathetic. Rachel looks down, with no willpower or energy to even protest against the punk, as many shadows form in her mind. Chloe observes this, wetting her lips, “Did Max respond to you on the phone?” Her voice is stern but caring. Rachel slowly raises her eyes to make contact, shaking her head in response. Chloe’s eyebrows raise slightly to the blonde’s expression.

“Chloe! Rachel! Are you guys okay?” Kate’s voice draws both the girls’ attention, turning in unison to her.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Chloe replies back, then giving another gentle stare at Rachel.

Rachel looks back calmly, muttering softly, “Yup.” She stands back up on her feet, brushing any gravel or tiny rocks that are clinging on her jeans.

“Our food came out… so we got it to-go.” Kate walks up to them holding two fountain drinks in both hands, hugging a bag with two food boxes in it, against her chest.

Max shows up right behind her, also holding the exact same setup. She does a double take, “Rach, are you crying…” Her muttering fades into the air, freezing on the spot, looking between the girls. She presses her cheeks softly with her smile, “Oh…” Her initial thoughts thinking the two girls has made up in the short absence. She finally turns to the rear window which was the whole point of the rewind, noting it is intact. “Yay! My stuff are still there. Thank you so much! Was it too much of a problem? The time powers? And the thief?”

Rachel forces a smile, shaking her head, “No problem, Mousey Max.” She blinks rapidly noting the cheery look of her younger best friend. Someone that she will never share a day with once she returns back to her timeline. She resists the growing urge to grab the brunette for a hug, as her eyebrows lower slightly, “Not one bit.” _What was that vision? Is it a vision of the future? Did I call Maxine in my final moments, only to not get any response from her?_

Max scans around, noting that the two girls are looking fine and no signs of any threat. Trusting in the blonde's words, "Alright, then." She bares her teeth, squeezing the bag to her stiff chest, lifting it higher, “Let’s eat!”

Chloe pulls down the tailgate of her truck, “Hop on in!” She kicks up her boots, climbing up to the truck bed. “Let’s chow down…”

Kate and Max take their cautious time, setting down the food and drinks to free up their hands to climb up the truck. On top of the truck bed, they prepare to distribute the food around. 

Chloe stomps loud and proud with her boots, almost knocking the fountain cups over. She hunches slightly with her right arm stretched out, “Rach…” She offers a hand to pull the lonesome blonde up.

Rachel looks at the hand reached out towards her. Her eyes drift up to the piercing yet inviting azure eyes of Chloe, who looks down with pressed lips that form a soft smile. Rachel takes an unsteady step forward, grabbing Chloe’s hand, as well as the side of the truck for extra support, lifting her slim body up to the truck bed. “Thanks…” She mutters quietly.

Chloe maintains the grip, tightening their fingers and lifting it close to their chest, becoming almost like a handshake. She releases their warm touching grip, and gently slides her index finger across Rachel’s neck, noting that the scratch is no longer there because of the rewind. Her eyes glow one last time, before turning away to settle down on the truck bed. “Alright… we get to eat, again.”

Rachel’s eyes become entranced, admiring Chloe, as Max and Kate, both take notice of this, as well. A small smile emerges from the blonde. _Chloe is honoring my wish to not tell Kate and Max, at the moment. Could it be she is starting to trust me? Okay… this time… we won’t fight each other, Chloe._

#### Max Caulfield & Rachel Amber

#### 26 Freeway West

#### March 21th, 2013 2:02 PM

The truck ride back is smooth sailing, as the girls settle dig into the car seat cushion with their food coma. In the middle section, is Max and Rachel squeezing in under the tight fit with the generously sized seat belt. Surprisingly, the blue punk driver isn’t blasting her rock albums or having the obnoxious radio on, because she also needs some quiet time to absorb everything that is going on. 

Max looks to her left, at Chloe who looks rather serene with the beautiful radiating sky casting series of expanding white-golden shafts around her body, as she is driving. She grins slightly with her dreamy eyes. _I’m here, Chloe. I will give up anything to be by your side. Anything in life, we will go through it together, from now on. No more being alone or tossed away… I’ll be here, because I love you so much._

She turns to her right, looking past the napping Rachel right beside her, to Kate who also conveniently leans forward, returning with her glowing smile. Max sighs with a faint laugh. _Kate, your smile warms my heart in unbelievable ways. Just how much you stood by my side when I went through my darkest days._ She tilts her head back, looking at the pink dress that hangs proudly, then back at Kate, who is still baring her teeth and adorable cheeks. _You really find out who are the people that truly cares when you are pushed to your limits. So, I’ll be here for you, Kate. No more bullying or ever feeling alone like you did on that rooftop. I love you._

Max dips her head, looking close to her shoulder of the beautiful sleeping girl who is struggling to keep her head straight. Her consciousness quivering back and forth, almost landing comfortably onto Max’s shoulder.

Rachel sharply inhales, jerking her body, lapping her tongue against the inside of her lips, “Shit… did I snore?”

“Nope.” Max smiles, gently pressing her shoulder against Rachel’s body. “Go back to sleep. You can sleep on my shoulder if you want. My hoodie is pretty poofy and comfy.”

The slight grogginess in Rachel makes it very easy to take her up on that offer, as she rolls her head onto the soft shoulder, “Thanks…” She hums in content.

“No problem.”

Rachel opens her eyes partially, blindly digging in her pocket to pull out her phone. She unlocks with her fingerprint, then handing it to the hipster, “Max, I trust you with this. Maybe you can catch me up with some of these conversations?”

Max looks at the phone given to her, “You trust me with your phone?”

“Mm-hmm…” The stirring blonde nods against the shoulder, “I trust you…” Rachel reaches over, patting the thighs of the young photographer. “Besides, maybe you can wrap my head around some of these.”

“Y-yeah…” The brunette takes the unlocked phone and digs into the text messages. In her peripheral vision, she can see Chloe giving a quick glance at the phone but Max plays it off like she doesn’t see her. _Chloe… is still heartbroken about the whole Jefferson and Frank thing. Even though she seems cordial after the rewind, I can tell it is eating her apart._ Max scrolls through the text messages, seeing a few new ones. Despite being granted permission and already being a very nosy person, Max still feels uncomfortable to be digging through this.

_Let’s see what we got here. Audrey… Chloe Price… Erm...no, I won’t peek at their private messages together… Nathan Prescott… Victoria Chase… Evan Harris…_

Max glances at the preview, seeing the latest reply from Evan with no reply back.

> **Evan Harris:** Rach, come on… Let’s grab dinner instead of hanging out with those stupid Vortex Club losers. Then we can have those cool photo shoots out in the evening like we used to. Sounds good? (3/19 2:12 PM)

_Rachel just ignored him. Maybe so many things have been happening. Along with her life is changing. I did remember Evan saying Rachel was like a sister to him._

She scrolls down more. _Megan Weaver. Mom. Wait… Megan Weaver? That name is familiar._

> **Megan Weaver** : Thanks again, gorgeous! We should hang out sometimes. :) Maybe grab dinner? (3/19 1:03 PM)

Max squints her eyes, “Rachel, do you know…” She sighs, “...maybe you don’t.”

Rachel replies nonchalantly, “I probably don’t…”

“Megan Weaver?”

The blonde flinches at the recognition of the name, “Oh… yeah, I do. Me and Kate met her this morning. Very cute girl.” She pulls her head off Max’s shoulder, slowly steadying herself, “What’s up?”

“Megan… “ Max squeezes her eyes closed, groaning in frustration. “I vaguely remember… fuck!...” She looks at the bluenette for support but realizing that she wouldn’t know anything in this timeline. “... I saw her the name ‘Megan’ on one of the red binders.” Her voice lowers in hesitation to say the next line, “Right before me and Chloe, discovered Rachel’s body.”

Chloe’s neck twitches at the words of the fate of her best friend, clenching the steering wheel tightly, digging her blue nails into it. “Where is this teacher?”

Max looks at Chloe blankly, but Rachel takes over with her own question, “Max, what are the red binders?”

The hipster takes a long deep breath, calming the racing nerves down. _The Dark Room_ is flooding back like a tidal wave. If seeing the death of Chloe isn’t sadly the most memorable and traumatic moment in her past week, then it is going to be tied and bounded by duct tape, pleading for mercy to your long time idol, as he takes pictures in pure pleasure. With the only things, you can do is kick and squirm to entice in his arousal some more. Max puffs out a heated breath out of her nose, “Those red binders contained pictures from the photo sessions that Jefferson took of the girls that he drugged and kidnapped. On the outside of the binders had their first name.” She clenches her teeth, furrowing her eyebrows, “I remembered seeing Megan. But my attention was focused on yours, Rachel. And Kate…” Max nods her head. Suddenly, the helpless photos of Rachel and Kate twist sharply into the small folds in her brain. She groans with clenching teeth, as Rachel quickly comes to her aid, wrapping her arm around Max’s neck for comfort.

Chloe glances over at the current state of her friend, biting the inside of her bottom lip. She glares with ferocity back at the road, “Fuck! Can we kill this guy already? I can jack a gun from Sgt. Pepper. He probably wouldn’t even notice.”

Rachel tilts her head at the furious bluenette, “No, Chloe… we’re going to go to jail if we do something that stupid.” She turns her attention to the struggling girl, dipping to kiss her temple. “Max, so you’re saying Megan could be a victim?”

The kiss from Rachel soothes Max slightly, as she shrugs in confusion, “I don’t know. I also remember in the other timeline I went to last week…” She stiffens her back, so she can look at the church girl at the other end of the seat, “Kate… I told you the timeline when Chloe became crippled to a wheelchair… There was a card that Chloe got from Megan Weaver. She was Chloe’s very good friend in that timeline. But then she stopped writing to Chloe.” She blinks slowly, “Now, I think about it… maybe she got drugged and kidnapped in that timeline, too. And after that encounter, she was never the same.”

Kate stiffens her posture to get a better view of everyone, “Yeah… even though I was mostly knocked out when Jefferson was taking picture of me… I still can remember that ice cold prick to the side of my neck.” The thought sends a cold shiver up her spine, “I felt so gross. It was awful.”

_Oh my god, Kate. Believe me… I cannot get the Dark Room out of my mind._

Rachel leans back crossing her arms, “Nathan… mentioned about getting some new drugs from Frank last night. He says it is for next week’s party but it could be more to it.” The brunette looks on with inquiring eyes, dreading what will be said next. “Megan asked me to go to a theatrical play tonight, but I said ‘no’ to her. Nathan also turned her down.”

“She’s going alone? And Nathan knows about it?” Max tucks her lower lip in, biting on it, “She is going to get drugged tonight. And both Nathan and Jefferson are waiting for her.” She scans at the three girls around her, “We have to go to David and the police.”

Chloe’s eyebrows pinch together, “Step shit? What the f-...” She scoffs, “That loser of a security guard cannot possibly be of any use in any whatever fucking timelines.”

The brunette squeezes the bluenette’s shoulder, knowing how much hatred she has towards her stepfather, “Chloe, I know you hate him. But he saved my life. Mark Jefferson kidnapped me and was going to kill me with an overdose… the very same way he killed Rachel.”

A gust of ice seemingly creeps into the closed cabin of the truck, raising the goosebumps at the back of Chloe’s neck, “Oh my god… okay… I’m just driving. I’m just driving. My best friends are not kidnapped. I’m still driving...” She sings with an anguished tone, shaking her head and glaring at the road in front, “Fuck all of this…”

Rachel jumps in, attempting to steer from the idea of the other time master, “No, we have to be careful. It isn’t simple like this.”

Max nods in disagreement, “As simple as calling the cops.”

Rachel raises her voice, contesting the idea, “Even if we know the location of this _Dark Room…_ Don’t you think he has plans to cover his tracks? He probably has cameras and fully armed. Time travel powers doesn’t do shit if we both have a bullet in our brain. Or is it okay for David to risk his life and take the bullet?” She looks all around her, sensing the frightening and disapproval stares from the other girls. She retorts against the overwhelming silence in the truck, “And what evidences do we have? That we have two time travelers and a good samaritan that tagged along for the ride back? And a law-hating punk that drives a raggedy bro truck?”

Max raises her hands, calming the blonde down, “Look… I went through that shit. I can’t let anyone else suffer. We have to save her.”

Rachel gently grabs both her hands, gripping it tightly but relaxing her expression, “We don’t know anything. Trust me, one change can fuck everything up.” Her eyes drift around the truck, looking at the other girls. “I take that back… all the stuff we are doing, starting now… is fucking things up. We have no more roadmap anymore.” Her eyebrows pinch together uneasily, “We can be deceiving ourselves and steering into huge troubles.”

 _She has a point but still…_ “Okay…” Max arches her eyebrows, “What do you suggest? We have to at least try.”

Rachel nods her head, “Let’s… talk to this Frank person. Gather some proof.” She sighs, pressing her lips with slight reluctance in her expression. “And let me talk to Nathan.” 

“Both Frank and Nathan trust only you,” Max replies, almost pinning the full responsibility to her. Chloe cranes her head, observing in silence of her two best friends and their interactions with each other.

The blonde groans, knowing it will come to it, “Fuck… okay. I’ll talk to them both.”

 _Why does Rachel want to talk to Nathan?_ “And what’s the point of talking to Nathan.” Max questions trying to remain tactful in her tone.

Rachel pauses for a moment, showing some concerns in her deep thoughts, “I want to try and see if I can talk him out of it. So he isn’t dragged down to hell with Mark.”

 _This isn’t good… not good at all._ Max’s eyes widen at the thought, feeling a sense of uneasiness in disagreement with this other powerful time master, “Okay… that is one change that will definitely fuck things up. Mark will not let Nathan go. It is going to set many other things off.” She sighs, trying to calm herself from her increasing frustration that she could be powerless against Rachel’s choice, “Even though we have a heads up on Jefferson, he is a clever son of a bitch that evaded all of this shit.” _I can’t risk this. This can ruin this timeline real fast._

Kate gently tugs on Rachel’s plaid jacket, turning her around, “Max is right. Rachel, I respect that you care about everyone so much. It is very sweet of you.” Her voice transitions to show her concerns as well, “But this is something that is way too risky. He is mentally unstable and an accomplice of Jefferson. And we were not the only victims, Nathan and Jefferson did the very same thing to a bunch of other girls. And Megan is going to be next. It is cruel, but Nathan just may have to be the acceptable loss. He is already knee deep guilty with Jefferson.”

Rachel leans back into the seat, feeling overwhelmed by the two girls, “I know. I understand you guys hate him because of what he did.”

Max shakes her head, “No, it’s not th-”

Rachel interrupts her, “Max… I hate Nathan in my timeline, too. I hated all the Prescotts. But… “ She rubs the back of her neck, “I just have to give it a shot to help him.”

Max looks on with narrowing eyes, rubbing her arms absently, “I don’t get it… Why are you so willing to help him?”

“Max…” Rachel chokes on her words, struggling to find any convincing reasons, “...just give me a chance.” She clears her throat with her expression becoming more stern, “I have my powers, too.” Blinking slowly to the other time master, almost like giving a firm threat.

The brunette gapes her mouth but nodding softly. _She has all the powers. But, I have to respect it. And hope for the best that this timeline won’t turn out to be the worst timeline I ever been in._ Max concedes by stiffening her posture and moving away her stare to return back the humming of the road. A cold silence takes over the conversation.

Chloe erupts, interrupting the stillness, “Well fuck…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry for the delay. Woo, finally got this chapter down. This is kind of first time the girls are interacting with each other. I put a bit of focus on Chloe, as she is still relatively new character, and both Max and Rachel has to slowly build up a relationship towards her. Also, to catch her up with the time travel powers, and so on.
> 
> So, I jumped back and forth between Rachel and Max "POV" to get a different angle on the scenes and their personal thoughts. I hope this wasn't too confusing.
> 
> It is tough to shape how Chloe character is, in this current timeline. So I went with the route that she is disgusted by this "Alt Rachel" person, and almost wanting to reject her existence. But perhaps, she is slowly bonding with her as she realizes that Alt Rachel has her own issues to deal with and that she is also truly close to Max.
> 
> For a fun fact, the final scene in the car... I made a poll in the chat, "Rachel or Max". Of course, 3 people voted with Max and 1 voted with Rachel. So I wrote the final scene in the perspective of Max. It turned out to be pretty good call, to explore Max's inner emotion and thoughts with all of this, including Jefferson and Nathan.
> 
> The 'Chatfield' is an actual menu item in that restaurant. I thought it was funny to have the girls order it, cause it sounds like a "ship" for Max.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for keeping up with my story!


	26. Come to Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the formatting and style a little bit. The character that shows in the heading is the POV used for that section. There is some time overlap in this chapter. So, not everything is chronological order.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Blackwell Academy - Parking Lot

#### March 21th, 2013 2:35 PM

The rickety truck with slivers of aging rust scattering throughout its body pulls into an empty parking spot. The worn out brakes shriek sharply to accomplish its goal to halt the junk in the lot of Blackwell Academy. Invisible plumes of heat sail upwards into the gentle afternoon sky from the now, motionless vehicle that braved the long trip back from Portland, as well as a quick stop to Chloe’s house to pack some clothes and items.

The blue haired driver twists her car key to the ‘Off’ position, letting the unpleasant and noisy engine subsides to a calming silence. “You think I can just park here? And, not get a ticket?” Her beady-eyes scan around the parking lot for any obvious signs that will cause her to rack up more unnecessary monetary fees. “I keep forgetting the parking rules here.”

Kate unbuckles her seat belt and hunches forward her body to observe the rather serene surroundings of the lot. “There are far more parking spots than the staff and students could ever utilize, so I don’t think it is a problem.” Her head cranes over towards the driver’s window. Her eyebrows furrow, leaning her head for a better view to confirm what she is looking at, “Oh… Max?”

“Yeah, Kate?” Max follows her head into the direction of the wide eyes from the hair bun girl.

Kate slants her body in, speaking softly into the freckled girl’s ear, “Isn’t that Frank’s RV?” Her voice is still audible to all the girls in the quietness of the truck.

“Erm…” Chloe mumbles unpleasantly. The words from the church girl, sends a wrinkling up the side of the neck of the blue haired punk, that the other girls can notice. She turns to look away from the RV, stomping her boot at the foot parking brake. A headache suddenly oozes out of the folds of her brain. Her fingers scramble into the compartment in the front center of the interior, pulling out a fresh unopened pack of cigarettes. She opens her door ajar, allowing a soft humming breeze of fresh air to flow into the cabin of the truck. She tilts her body away from the girls, packing her cigarettes, “...Fuck, I’m going for a smoke.” She wedges her tall slim body out of the truck, “You guys can wait around here for a bit.” Not waiting for any replies or concerns, she slams the door, then marches away across the parking lot, in search for a more secluded area to smoke from the peering eyes of the campus authorities.

_She is still very upset about Frank and Rachel._

“Chloe…” A rising sting threads itself along Max’s throat, feeling a slight urge to chase after her best friend to comfort but also not wanting to leave the other two girls alone.

“Munch-Max…” Rachel weaves the brunette’s smooth hair with her fingers. The soothing and warm feelings naturally lift the hipster around. The RV at the edge of the parking lot draws some questions, “...so what else can you tell me about me and Frank?”

Max unbuckles her seat belt, giving a rush of freedom to both herself and the blonde that was sharing it, and a much-needed relief their waists. She uncrosses her legs to fill in her shoes, that she removed during the ride, “To be honest, I don’t think I really know that much more. Other than he is a nice person underneath but he sells drugs to the students here, like Nathan.” She looks around cautiously, getting the sudden trundling feeling that they are no longer in Portland, but in a place where people could recognize them. At least Rachel. Max continues, “As you noticed, Chloe didn’t know about your relationship with him. I’m not sure if you’re still together with him or not… but I remember that he got violent one time when he was tripping up or something. I read that in a letter. That may have eventually led to the breakup or somewhere close to it.”

“Hmm…” Rachel lets out a long sigh, shaking her head slowly, “Still sounds like a trashy kind of guy... Is he at least good looking?” She snorts, grinning with her teeth, “Like Mark?”

“Erm…” Both Max and Kate groans at the distasteful joke but trailing it into a more nervous scoff.

Rachel gasps sharply, jolting up her body, realizing how insensitive she is being, “Sorry!” She turns around, gently squeezing the hair bun girl’s wrist, “Sorry, Kate!”

“No, it’s fine…” Max presses her lips tightly, to a grimace, almost wanting to hurl after hearing that comment of Rachel’s. “Umm… Frank is… alright, I guess.” She shrugs uneasily, moving to a more important subject, “Rachel, I don’t know how to put it this way… I’m not sure what kind of relationship you had with him.” Her eyes drift side to side, her voice turning low to almost a mumble, “Whether you truly loved him, or you saw him as an opportunity to escape from Arcadia Bay, or…” The shy hipster hunches her shoulder feeling her words could be offending, especially on what she has to say next.

Rachel snorts, boldly finishing Max’s words, “Like… just wanted to bang for some drugs? Or both that and ‘ditch Arcadia Bay’?” She glides her fingers along the back of Max’s, soothing the nervous discomfort she is having. “It’s okay…” She reels the shy hipster in, giving her a tight hug, and planting her lips against Max’s temple.

Max relishes the tender moment with the other time traveler, letting it seep into her anxious body. She nuzzles her forehead into the blonde’s shoulder, “Yeah, I’m not sure about any of this. And of course, Chloe knows nothing of this.”

The blonde beautiful girl presses her cheek, squeezing her harder with her embrace. Digging her fingers into the soft cotton material of the hoodie jacket of her best friend’s counterpart, “Well, what do you think? Honest opinion of Rachel…?”

Max gulps softly, feeling the question could allude to two meanings. How she felt and feel towards both Rachels. She focuses back on the Rachel in _this_ timeline with a relationship with Frank. Her voice is partially muffled but still audible to the other girls, “Well… I think Rachel wanted to get out of Arcadia Bay and move to Los Angeles. That was always her goal to go back. Maybe she wanted to leave Arcadia Bay… Whether it is with Jefferson or Frank...”

“And to leave Chloe behind?”

A sharp pain flutters into the brunette’s chest from Rachel’s words. Even though Max can be there for Chloe, she doesn’t want her best friend to be tormented anymore. And, she knows how much Rachel means to Chloe, especially seeing her break down completely when they found Rachel’s body buried in the junkyard. She replies back, “Maybe, Rachel was afraid of seeing me… I was her old best friend, right?” She boldly acknowledges that event did happen even though Max herself does not have any recollection of it. “Maybe she knew I was going to Blackwell Academy in the upcoming fall...”

Max acknowledging that she was originally best friend with Rachel instills some boiling confidence into the blonde, making her feel more trusted. “I’m afraid of seeing you?…” Rachel coos, with a mixture of disagreement and teasing tone. She squeezes her arms tighter, giving a soft but sustaining kiss through the brown hair. “I can’t imagine ever wanting to do that…” A rough mixture of a lie as well, as Rachel is terrified of confronting Maxine again in her timeline. But perhaps, she sees Max as a version of her best friend that hasn’t succumbed to the abusive behavior from the blonde. She stiffens her pose to play nervously with the spiritual beaded bracelet on her wrist. Feeling the misty heat on her chest, she realizes her curves are being pressed into the silent girl’s head who is having no objection to it. The blonde grins, whispering softly to not arouse too much embarrassment into the hipster, “You’re rubbing your face into my boobs.”

Max lifts her head up slowly with a smile, along with a soft giggle from Kate that overheard it. The brunette smiles, not as embarrassed this time as she is becoming bolder with these teasing, “You certainly know how to ruin a moment…”

The blonde’s eyes widen, “Oh I’m sorry, you can totally put your head back. I don’t mind at all...” 

Max squints her eyes in humiliation, but with a boiling confidence to refuse to lose to the teasing sultry blonde. _Oh… I won’t let her win!_ She dips her head down halfway but hovering right above the curves, giving a quick and pathetic attempt of a threat that she is serious.

Rachel stares back deeply with her seductive eyes, looking to outdo the brunette’s weak attempt of a tease. She kisses her purple-painted fingernails, then slipping her index and middle finger in the corner of the brunette’s lips, grazing a sliver of saliva from her. The blonde shuffles her knees to lengthen her body, then arches forward that her forehead makes contact with Max’s forehead, giving the hipster a close and intimate view of her chest. With her other fingers, she tugs down the top of her white tank top. Combined with the angle, Max get a teasing glimpse of the blonde’s cleavage, which immediately sends a paralyzing wave that engulfs every muscle of the brunette’s body, except for her pounding heart.

The sultry blonde senses her snowballing advantage, holding the two fingers close, making sure Max could see her own gleaming moisture on it. Rachel, then slips the fingers, wiping the sliver amount of wetness, to only to be absorbed into the cup of her sexy leopard bra. Another forked lightning twists up the spine of the awestruck girl.

_Those cat prints! Holy smokes… Max, you damn horndog. Get a grip... Erm… no… don’t get a grip on those! Dammit brain, why are you in the gutter when I need you the most?! Good gosh!!!_

Both of the brunette’s inner thighs twitch, sending a cascading shuddering all the way up to her throat. She blinks rapidly, against the flood of heat that is radiating out of her body. And the smirking face of the gorgeous girl that has been observing in delight to every involuntary movement made by the poor girl, doesn’t help to curb the intensity. And Rachel hasn’t even lay a finger on her, except to slip her fingers into Max’s mouth.

_And… we are in a public place… Wait..._

Among that gush of emotions, she can feel an odd feeling that sends the right side of her body halting to an abrupt stop. She pulls her eyes off the sultry blonde, looking to realize that Kate has been looking this entire part with silent but curious eyes.

“Eek…” Kate squeaks, jolting her body to the sudden attention she received. “I’m sorry, I can step out.”

“Kate, you can watch if you want… ” Rachel reaches over pulling the embarrassed girl’s hand, preventing her from exiting the truck. She giggles softly, “I’m kidding… Sorry! I was just teasing Max, and got carried away.”

“No!” Kate shakes the hand that Rachel grabbed in an adorable way, “Don’t worry about me. It’s totally fine.” She lets out a grin that lights up the mood, again.

“Aww…” Rachel returns with her own smile. Her eyes scan around her surroundings, as also the reality of being in a public place is chipping away at her boldness. “Let’s get out of here and meet up with Chloe.” The blonde rolls over the driver seat, opening the door. She looks back, seeing her brunette friend still rooted in the middle of the seat. “Max, you need a moment?” she lets out a satisfying smirk.

Max swallows her throat against the fading heat that is dissipating from her body, letting out a soft nod. She rolls towards her, “Yeah, I’m good, you punk!” She gives a playful shove to the blonde, following her out of the truck. Rachel immediately retaliates by stuffing the brunette’s head into her hood, giving a playful noogie rub to her new captive. “Stop it…” Max giggles through the attack, “...you win!”

The sounds of pattering boots approach them, halting Rachel’s attack.

“Are you guys done?” The stern voice of Chloe draws both the girls’ attention, as she paces towards them, dusting off some scattered ashes off her jacket.

“Yeah, we are…” Rachel gently straightens up the brunette, wrapping her arm around her. “I can give you guys the key to my dorm, so you can put all your stuff there and chill for a bit. It’s Room 224.” The blonde turns her head in the direction of her objective, the dusty RV parked at the edge of the parking lot. “I guess I’ll talk to this Frank person. I’ll do it alone.” There is some dread and reluctance in the tone, as she knows that she has no clue what she is getting herself into, like with her evening with Jefferson.

Chloe takes a few advancing steps towards the apprehensive blonde, “I made up my mind. I’m going with you to talk to Frank.” She turns to her Seattleite friend, “Max, could you carry my bag to Rachel’s room, as well?”

_Chloe wants to help Rachel? Oh man… is this a good idea? This must be so tough for her… Yet, she is willing to help her. Maybe I’m underestimating her._

“U-umm… s-sure… but…” Max stammers her words to a trailing silence for a moment, before reorganizing the wild thoughts in her mind, “Chloe, are you sure about this? Do you think Frank is going to freak out?”

“Look… I know Frank well enough.” The punk crosses her arms, maintaining her usual tough exterior. But this time she isn’t exploding or blaming anyone, as she is showing odd signs of calmness and restraint, “Rachel has no roadmap on this, so I can at least guide her. The path of least resistance to get our answers from Frankie.”

Kate shuffles her tennis shoes, holding both her hands over her chest like she is praying, “You sure Chloe?” She questions, but also admiring the courage of the punk to help out, despite hearing the news of Frank’s relationship with Rachel.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” She rolls her eyes, “Woo!” She lets out a sarcastic scream, fist pumping in the empty air, “...Let’s get some confirmations from Frank. See if our Megan girl is going to be in trouble.”

“Umm… alright.” Max nods softly, “Okay, I’ll get your bag.”

#### Kate Marsh

#### Arcadia Bay: Prescott Dormitory - Room 224

#### March 21th, 2013 2:43 PM

Lugging their bags, luggage, the prom dress and as well as Chloe's bag, the two future Blackwell Academy students make their way up the metal stairs in the dormitory. They weave quietly through the hallway, as the classes are still in session, leaving only students that have that period off to be free. The line of closed doors burbles with faint melody from stereo systems and muffled conversational voices.

The freckled girl sets down Chloe’s backpack, fumbling Rachel’s keys to wiggle into the keyhole to unlock the door. She picks up Chloe’s bag again, giving one more cautious look around before both girls enter the room and shutting it behind them.

Kate hits both light switches lighting up the room with an artificial pink hue that swirls with the afternoon sun. The twinkling rope lights hanging above their heads seems like stars glimmering merrily under the white sky of the dorm ceiling. Along the rope, pictures are clipped, displaying the various intimate moments with the many different friends that Rachel had. The air conditioner is already running, leaving a veil of mild air in the room. The hair bun girl is already making herself at home by carefully setting down her bag by the couch. However, the overwhelmed hipster is frozen in her tracks, amazed with just about everything in the room.

Gazing with wide eyes, “Wow… so this is Rachel’s room?” Max takes an unsteady step forward, and her body freezes again, “I’m still not believing this… It is so bizarre, we are six months in the past...”

Kate rolls her shoulders, aching from the heavy bag she carried. She observes the girl that is filled with wonder. _Max must be in shock… I know I was. To finally be part of this mysterious person that was missing and dead. Or, at least sort of another version of her..._

Max gives a slow whirl around in place, immersing herself in the comforting feel of the room after that long draining car ride. It almost feels forbidden to be in it. Or rather the entire timeline feels like that. “So, you guys were sleeping here last night? Did you sleep on the couch?”

“No…” The church girl runs her fingers through her hair bun, then sliding it down the back of her neck, “This is silly… especially looking back. But Rachel was saying some strange things that she could slip back to her timeline. So, I got scared and wanted to sleep right beside her…” She pouts her lips and droops her shoulders, afraid she would be judged, “...even if we were just ten feet away sleeping.”

Max stiffens her posture, playing with the drawstring on her hoodie jacket. She isn’t repulsed by the idea of the two blondes sleeping together, but rather more concerned for the health and existence of this alternate timeline Rachel. “She could slip back to her timeline? And she’s weakening?”

Kate nods softly, sitting down delicately on the made bed, “Yeah… I’m scared because she is in such a bad place in her own timeline…”

“Y-yeah… me too, Kate.” The brunette tucks her hands into her hoodie pockets, then falling on the spot right beside the other girl. She scoots closer, letting out a tiring sigh from her small exhausted body, “I will have a talk with her. I didn’t get a chance earlier.”

The blonde puts her hand on her shoulder, with urgency in her tone, “Please, do that, Max.”

“I will, Kate. Thanks.”

Kate smiles, narrowing her eyes to a friendly toothy grin, warming up to the short incident earlier, “Rachel, was totally poking fun at you…”

The hipster’s face blooms with a soft crimson glow, “I know, I was stupid to think I can outdo her. I got so nervous… but…” She gulps her throat, but forming a soft, genuine smile with her thin pressed lips, “...she is beautiful.” She rolls her shoulders, stretching the length of her body, “Oh man, I’m feeling so loved by many people, and I don’t think I even deserve any of it... There’s Chloe, Rachel... And well…” Her soft blue eyes dart nervously, sending a hesitant shudder to the crook of her neck, “You…” She musters the strength to gaze at the angel with confident and inviting eyes.

“Max…” Kate relishes the warm words flowing gently towards her, acknowledging that we are all here, and we care and love each other.

_We’re all together..._

“I’m so happy that you’re here with me, Kate. And the thought that I was going to leave you behind…” Max’s voice trails off, losing a sizable fraction of her cheery tone.

Kate slides her hand that was resting on Max’s shoulder, down her arm, and finally to her hand. They interlock their fingers together, “But I’m here now… Always. Thanks to Rachel.”

“I know… I’m kind of freaking out. My brain is fried that I’m still not sure if this is real.” The brunette repeatedly squeezes her interlocked fingers with gentle pressure, to muster enough courage for her words, “...I mean, Chloe doesn’t even know me. At least, the way I know her. And this Rachel… I don’t even know her.” Max’s other hand joins, resting on top of their hands, “...Only you know me.”

“I know…” Kate continues with her tranquil voice that soothes the expanding void in Max’s belly, “I guess even I only know you so much, as well. You met a different version of me last week… the one that tried to take her own life. The one you saved with your powers.”

Max nods softly, “This is so fucked up… I mean, it was only last night I was crying my heart out about the deaths of my parents with you, right outside this dorm.” She points her finger at the wall, in the direction that both her and Kate were at, when she opened up to her in the previous timeline, outside of the dormitory at night. “And you held out your hand for me…”

“It is really crazy for me, too. It is a lot to digest, but we’re here now with a new path in life.” Kate turns around her body, silently signaling the hipster to face her. She pulls Max’s body in for a tight hug, squeezing the fatigued body of the time traveler, “...And I’m never letting go.”

“Kate… Thank you.” Max rubs her cheeks against the angel, nuzzling it softly, as their smooth skin caresses against each other. Kate doesn’t wince or pull away at all, as she follows along with it, feeling the soft breaths of the photographer, heave into her chest for a brief moment.

Max, then finally gently slides her hands away, slowly detaching from their hold, but looking deep into the beautiful hazel eyes of the sweet girl. “I think I will go take a shower. I spent the entire morning riding in a train and truck. I could use a nice soothing and relaxing shower.”

Kate grins, baring her teeth, “Plus, your face was heating up from Rachel...”

Max’s body shudder in embarrassment in her pitiful performance to compete against the teasing of the beautiful blonde, “Oh... don’t remind me.”

_Aww, Max… don’t feel embarrassed to show your feelings to her._

The blushing blonde angel releases their grasp, running her fingers through the locks of her blond hair, “It’s okay. She teased me, too. She is cheeky and pretty.”

“She did that to you, too?” Max quickly covers her mouth, “That’s hilarious.” She giggles through her fingers, that cradles her smile. “What did she do to you?”

Kate squeezes her eyes closed, letting out a sigh that transitions to a lovely smile, “Oh, I don’t even want to repeat it.”

“Haha, I don’t blame you. You don’t have to say it.” The hipster gets up from the bed, revealing her cheery face, “I’ll go take a shower if you don’t mind. And, I assume everything works the same way, as before… or is it after? I’m not sure what to call it.” She crouches down to her luggage and dropping off Rachel’s keys by it. She unzips the luggage to dig out her bathroom caddy bag and few other things.

Kate stares on for a second, letting the comforting sight of this time traveling partner from the previous timeline seep into her mind. Reminding that she isn’t the only one that feels lost. “Yeah, everything's the same. I’ll stay right here.”

Max stands up with her bathroom bag, towel and a small stack of clothes. She kicks off her shoes to put on some shower slippers. She squeezes all the cotton softness tightly against her chest in an adorable manner, “Alright, I’m off now!”

_Gosh… Max, I love your smile. After, seeing you being tormented for so long, this is finally going to be your break. You will be happy from now on, now that we are all together._

Kate does a cascading wave with her fingers, “See ya!” The brunette opens the door, taking a curious peek around before closing the door behind her and heading straight across the hallway to the showers.

Kate gets up from the bed, wandering her eyes around the room, spinning around her body with her arms slightly outstretched, like a more lively version of Max’s earlier spin. She switches off one of the light switches, leaving just the rope lights on to leave a strong luminous contrast, that glimmers like a constellation.

_It is soooo nice that we are all here. All of us._

Kate digs her phone from her messenger bag, checking if she got any messages. The only recent texts she got is from her mother.

> **Mom:** “Kate, how come it took so long to reply what time you went to bed at Jeannie’s?” (9:34 AM)
> 
> **Kate Beverly Marsh:** “Mom, it’s okay. I made it to school. I went to bed at 9:30 last night.” (9:38 AM)
> 
> **Mom:** “Okay.” (9:38 AM)

She groans in embarrassment, re-reading her mother’s text. One of the drawbacks about time traveling back six months is, Kate is locked back in the tall strict and overbearing walls of her family’s home. Especially her mother. Living in Blackwell Academy has been an opportunity to continue practicing her faith away from her family but in addition to being receptive to new ideas, without the judging eyes of her mother and aunt.

_In the last timeline, Mom was furious with me hanging out with Max. How she judged Max just because that she kissed Chloe, who was someone she loved and dying. Ugh, some people in my church can be horrible to spread news in that way. And, how could she judge someone based on who they love? Mom is so cruel and I’m getting very sick of it. I have my own goals and list of self-improvements to do. And her breathing down my neck with everything won’t ever help me._

Kate puts her phone away to stop herself from bursting into anger. She has the entirety of Rachel’s bed to get comfy. A remote control catches her eyes. She picks it up and turning on the 32” LCD television across the room by the couch. The TV flickers on leaving a nice blue hue to the room. The window blinds are still up, impeding a majority of the sunlight from revealing the time of the day it is. The dangling rope lights are the only thing that is lit but provides more of an ambient mood lighting.

The television is set on a nature show, as the volume is relatively low. Enough to hear the low monotonous voice of the documentary. The blonde dives her rear into the soft bed, almost like a little girl jumping on her bed. 

_Max… is such an amazing person. I never felt so attached to someone. And there’s Rachel..._

Her eyebrows arch at the comforting thought of the blonde time traveler. Her eyes drift from the documentary about whales, as her attention quickly slides to that familiar drawer from this morning.

_Hmm…_

The blonde’s nose wrinkle in a mixture of curiosity and reminiscing this morning with the captivating girl. She really cherished the time with Rachel, both being there for her as well as getting to know the sweet gorgeous girl. She slides out the drawer, finding the ‘Busty Blonde Bombshell’ magazine where it was left in the morning. With care, she picks up the magazine with the utmost delicacy, almost like she is afraid to contaminate this belonging of Rachel’s. These are _taboo_ materials, so holding them feels uneasy despite her growing curiosity. The conservative girl can freely take a look at it, without being judged by her parents or teased by Rachel.

She glances at the beautiful blonde model on the cover, whose enormous breasts are cupped and conveniently covered by her hands. Kate’s breathing is calm and steady this time around, instead of the adorable shrieking reaction when her untainted eyes were exposed to such profane images earlier. She lets out a soft grin, recalling the silly exchanges that her and the other blonde were having throughout the day. Her eyes drift down to the ‘C’ and ‘R’ letters that were marked in gold lettering, signaling the strong bond between the two teenage duo.

_Chloe and Rachel really loved each other. I wish someone did this with me… erm, preferably not with these type of magazines. But hey! Anything really…_

Kate lowers her eyebrows to a slant, realizing that while she does have friends, it never has reached any level close to Chloe and Rachel, or Max and Chloe. A slight shiver shudders into her body, feeling out of place among the trio, despite how loving Max and Rachel is towards her.

She shakes off that stinging insecurity, returning to the magazine in her hands. The section of the magazine that normally has a mailing address is blank, indicating this was purchased at a convenience store. _I wonder if Chloe bought this for Rachel… to tease and…_ Kate gulps her heated throat, at the thought. _...see if Rachel were into girls._ She narrows her eyes, with pressed and pondering lips. _Then again, Rachel was teasing me with this as well… I…_

She flips a few pages, seeing another model, a beautiful brunette arching her body to show off her exposed voluptuous curves that defy any biological proportions that Kate has seen like all the girls in the magazine. The model’s body is completely smooth and naked from head to toes. The abrupt explicit image sends a cringing chill that drips down into the conservative angel’s stomach. It is way too much for her to even appreciate the fully exposed female form. However, she doesn’t wince too much, holding on the magazine tightly, as her imagination runs a little wild. Instead, she recalls this morning with Rachel wearing only her leopard-print bra and panties. Her body is slightly thin and her curves aren’t even close to these girls, but it is still very pleasing and captivating to look at. Even that image of Rachel is still racy for the pure girl to look at but it still presented her beauty in an acceptable dosage.

_Gosh… Rachel… and her… meow outfit. She is so beautiful and so sweet to help us all. Her smiles and laughs just lift my heart so easily. Just like Max, I know deep down she is so troubled. So I want to help her. I want her to keep smiling._

Kate smiles weakly with her blank stare, as her imaginations detaches itself further from the restraints of her sheltered mind. The visual thoughts of Rachel walking out of Chloe’s room, after pleasuring herself and immediately confiding to Kate. Rachel wasn’t doing it to brag to the girl, but seeking the needed comfort and encouraging words for the alleged mistake she made. She already opened up and trust into Kate. 

_I know I am just someone to go to for Rachel when something goes wrong with Max and Chloe. She finds both those girls beautiful and loves them… but I wonder… I did catch her a few times spacing out on me…_

She blinks at the magazine she is holding, not at all resisting to the growing heated thoughts, as she is alone and in the comfort of this smooth bed.

Her lips quiver softly, as her heart beats faster, coloring her thoughts and imaginations. A quick glance at the closed door for a breeze of reaffirming security. She never has these thoughts before, but perhaps the past few days has been almost like an epiphany for her. And she is sharing this experience with these beautiful girls. Her heart and mind have gone to places that she would never imagine it would.

_Why am I thinking about all of this, now?_

She crosses her legs, clenching tightly her thigh muscles, and arching her body forward. She releases the tension, then she clenches it again, repeating for a rhythmic thrusting to curb the throbbing heat. Her half lidded eyes sail upwards, gazing up at the rope lights like seeing enchanting stars in the sky. With every slow but satisfying thrust, a very faint gasp escapes from her lips, twisting softly into the air against the soft rumbling of the air conditioner. Her fingers, who has been resting by her side, twitch against a conflicting thought in her mind.

Kate squeezes her eyes closed, with clenched teeth, releasing her thigh muscle to let the heat ooze out of her body coldly. She lets out a soft groan in frustration.

_What… am I doing?!? What’s wrong with me? This is not good. I need to cut this out… Ugh..._

She pries her head away from the magazine to let the cold air tear apart the murky aura around her boiling head. She blinks rapidly as reality slowly dissolves back into clarity in her spinning mind, as well as the dissipating heat between her legs. She puffs her cheeks, furrowing her eyebrows slightly, as a sliver of irritation coats her sweet face. A bit irked by the gorgeous girl for teasing, wanting to curse her name. _Rachel knows what type of upbringing I’ve been in. It is not nice or funny, to tease me like this! She is going too far!_

Kate slams the magazine shut, getting ready to hurl this forbidden relic back and to be never touched by her ever again. But something draws her attention at the bottom of the drawer. It is a card with an image of the Christian cross on it, with a sunrise background. Her eyes narrow in disgust, as probably one of the last thing she wants to see with these racing thoughts and the incriminating evidence in her hands. _My goodness! What in the world? Why is Rachel keeping something like this right beneath her dirty magazine?!?_

Kate heaves her breaths in tension, as she dips her body down, to pull the card and the accompanying envelope. The card was sent from ‘New Dawn Church’. 

_Hey, this is my church… and this is addressed to Rachel Dawn Amber._

She holds onto the card, examining the design more. Seeing it has blue butterflies in the foreground along with a prismatic rainbow. On the top, it says ‘Abounding Hope’.

The angel’s eyes freeze for a moment, as a sudden churning in her stomach has risen a trail of tingle that trails all the way up her throat. Her frustration with the blonde is being replaced by a brewing amount of dread in its place. Something isn’t right, but perhaps it is because she is invading the privacy of this girl. After a short internal struggle, she finally caves into her curiosity to open the card.

_Rachel,_

_Both you and your family are on this very challenging road right now, and you are all doing a great job. We are all praying for your mother. If you ever need any words of hope in the name of Jesus Christ, please come by. Our doors are always opened to you and your family. We are praying for a smooth recovery._

_-With love, Pastor Mitchell and the ‘Journey of Hope’ program._

Kate quickly stuffs the card back together with the envelope and putting it back into the drawer along with the magazine stacked over it. Already feeling like she has just committed a capital offense, feeling the crushing guilt that she has intruded on something she shouldn’t have.

_Shit… I’m so stupid for reading that! But… is Rachel’s mother alright? That is a guest pastor at my church but he works more with the Journey of Hope, which encompasses several local churches, and even some in Portland. That is the program that we help out with patients that are suffering chronic illnesses, possibly even terminal illnesses, as well. I stayed away from that program because my heart wasn’t ready to deal with the people that are suffering. And, to hear their stories, and the family members that are involved in it. So, I chose the route of ignorance, to preserve my emotional and mental state._

She stands up with clenched fists, turning her body to face out the window that is covered with the blinds. 

_I don’t know much about Rachel’s parents in this timeline, other than her father may have cheated on Rachel’s mother. Maybe I can ask Chloe… Ughh! Is this too personal to bring up?_

A cold shudder coats Kate, as anxiety begins to overwhelm her mind. Her brief frustration with Rachel has long gone away, replacing with sympathy. But then something else occurs in her head, paralyzing her body.

_Wait… this Rachel… In her timeline, her father passed away but her mother is alive..._

A sharp and loud knocking on the brown door, startles the church girl, causing her to leap in place, letting out her own shriek. She covers her mouth instantly. _Shit, hopefully, they didn’t hear me…_ The television is still on with low volume, leaving possibly enough buffer to mask the sound.

“Rachel?” A voice of male student muffles through the door. “It’s Nathan… Are you in there? Are you going to class?” The doorknob rattles freely, that chokes away the air in Kate’s lungs. “Can I come in? Your door is unlocked…”

_Shit!!! I forgot to lock it!_

Kate closes the drawer, rolling it softly with as little sound as possible. She gets on all four, looking at where to hide. The couch is more elevated than the bed so she can fit her body underneath it. She crawls into the abyss that is beneath the couch, crashing into something hard. There are plastic storage containers that are also occupying the space below it.

Her blood courses quickly through her veins, twisting into her pounding heart. Her breaths becoming more audible to a soft wheezing from the growing anxiety. Kate fumbles her fingers between the containers, trying to push them further in, giving a few extra inches but only to halt to another container behind it.

The knob clicks as the door opens slightly, “Rachel? Are you there? Please be here...” 

Kate forcefully presses her small body as tight as she can against the container, without making any more sound. Her heart sinks lower in her body, seeing the door swinging wide, as a figure intrudes into the room, closing the door behind him. 

It is Nathan. He is wearing a dark blue button shirt with jeans, free from the usual cardigan or varsity jacket he normally wears. Kate can barely see anywhere past his waist, given the angle and that she wants to be completely enveloped by the shadow of the couch, hoping the hanging rope light and the covered sunlight doesn’t cast enough to reveal her.

_Oh no… it really is Nathan… He is out of jail and ready to hurt people in this timeline._

Nathan’s eyes waver in its sockets, confirming the absence of his blonde friend. He ignores the television, crossing his arms and begins pacing madly in small circles in the center of the room.

The terror strikes into Kate’s body, jerking her body involuntarily, hoping this madman will not find her.

He mumbles underneath his breath. His voice isn’t very quiet but the words are incoherent at the rate he is muttering to himself. He raises both of his fists, to his temple, pressing hard against it, finally uttering the only words that she can hear, “Rachel… Rachel… where are you?”

Still trembling, but the words draw her curiosity as Kate leans ever so slightly closer to get a better view but remaining almost motionless and obscured underneath the couch. Terrified that somehow her pounding heart can be heard by this unpredictable and explosive boy that is trespassing in Rachel’s personal space.

Nathan turns towards the leg end of the bed, seeing a laundry hamper. Without any hesitation, he walks over it, digging up the dirty and worn clothes of Rachel’s. He yanks up the thin straps of the black dress that Rachel wore last night with her date with Mark Jefferson. He examines it briefly but then releases it for something more alluring.

Rachel’s black strapless bra lies on top, catches his eyes, as he pulls that one up. Holding it with his trembling fingers, he glides the padded cups across his face that sends a shiver into his already juddering body.

Nathan releases his shivering fingers, letting the bra slip back down to the laundry hamper. He brushes around some more, almost like a beggar looking for food in a trash can. He takes the occasional look over his shoulder as if he can hear someone approaching the door. Finally convinced he is alone for the time being, he pulls out the black lacy thong that Rachel wore last night. He holds it delicately with his fingers, with some reluctance. He calms his heavy breathing and bring the undergarment to his nose and begins smelling it, letting in the sweet scent of Rachel’s. Then another breath, wheezing in louder to send a tingling terror into the hiding observer below the couch.

He drops the panties back in the hamper, turning sharply to crash his body on Rachel’s bed. He dumps his face right into his hands. “I-... I-...” He hisses sharply through his fingers. “M-Megan…” He clenches his fists, scratching his face but not enough to leave a lasting mark, “...I’m sick...” 

The television is still on the nature channel, with the monotonous documentary voice.

 _“Sometimes, the young whale calves will lose itself from their pack or parents. With the lack of guidance and harsh conditions, they may end up beaching themselves on the land. Leading to a slow decaying and lonely death._ ”

Nathan stares on with his cold deathly eyes, almost like his spirit is about to free itself from his tormented body in this bitter world. The blue hue from the TV lashes onto his skin, seemingly choking the life out of him, leaving an asphyxiated color that matches perfectly with his lifeless eyes.

A voice calls from behind the door, “Hey Rachel? Nathan? Are you guys in there? I saw Nathan go in there…”

Nathan shakes his head, blinking his eyes. “Shit… Shit…” He gets up from the bed, quickly opening the door.

Victoria Chase is on the other side of the door. She narrows her scornful eyes, seeing the room is dark. Her suspicions boil in her, forcing her to dip her pixie cut head in the room, first looking at the bed and then a quick scan to the rest of the room. “What are you doing in her room? Rachel isn’t here. Were you watching television?”

The Prescott kid doesn’t even try to hide it, “No, she isn’t. And, the TV was already on.”

Victoria pulls his arm, dragging him out the room and closing the door to Rachel’s room to hide any pieces of evidence of an intrusion. In a fading voice, you can hear Victoria trailing off, “You can get in trouble for this. Let’s get out of here...”

Kate clenches her fists, digging her nails into the carpet. _God…_ _Max, come back already… What does Nathan want with Rachel?_

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Blackwell Academy Parking Lot

#### March 21th, 2013 2:39 PM

Both Rachel and Chloe gaze into the distant, watching Max and Kate lugging their bags up the steps to the main campus of Blackwell Academy. A stirring feeling of dread shrouds the two onlookers with their decision to work together, as the two mediators have left them to fend for themselves in this uncertain future.

Rachel looks over to her unexpected ally, “Umm… Chloe?”

She doesn’t respond right away, as she turns around and begins walking towards the RV, silently signaling the blonde to keep up with her. The punk digs her hands into her pockets, swirling her tongue against the inside of her cheek, “Well… let’s get this show on the road, shall we? Wouldn’t want to keep your Frankie boy waiting...”

“Chloe…” Rachel scurries for a few quick steps to catch up to the punk, tugging on the jacket of the grumpy girl, who immediately yanks away with a sharp burst of energy with her shoulder. Rachel asks with a slight quiver to her throat, “...are you okay?”

Her tone is a mixture of dull yet stern, “I’m fucking fine… why wouldn’t I be?”

The blonde speeds up, finally blocking the punk’s path, forcing her to grind her black boots to a halt. “Chloe, I have no roadmap on this. But I can handle this by myself. I don’t want to see you hurt anymore...”

The punk lets out a bitter sigh, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly, “You got no fucking clue about Frank, huh?”

They resume walking but at a slower and steady pace. Rachel crosses her arms, glancing all around the parking lot, with the brisk wind lifting the emerald leaves that holds tightly with the trees around the perimeter. “I don’t. Is he a good person? What is he like… umm…” She swirls her index finger, “...around us?”

Chloe brushes her blue bangs as the afternoon sun illuminates the roots of the punk’s hair, revealing the parched natural blonde hair that she has. “He’s a pretty chill guy. He may look creepy at first, but he’s not bad at all.” The soft breeze alerts her that they are in a public place, about to walk to a drug dealer that is parked on the school grounds. For a rather renowned school, the parking lot security is rather relaxed. But perhaps many things are brushed to the side like the rest of Arcadia Bay. Chloe looks over her shoulder cautiously, making sure that there’s no one watching them, and that the coast is clear. “He hooks us up with weed. But he sells some heavy stuff… I just never got into it.”

The blonde wets her lips, “What about… me and Frank?”

The calmness in Chloe’s tone is short-lived, as the words strike a nerve, unleashing the virulent rage back, “How the fuck do I know? I thought we were all pretty cool, but then I found out you were fucking banging him…”

The wording is poor as the not-from-this-timeline Rachel gets blamed for the actions of her counterpart. She tries to defuse the situation, “Listen, we don’t know if that happened yet…”

Chloe gets in front of the blonde, but walking backward with a scornful face, “Oh, I’m sure a couple nights ago, he was fucking thrusting it into you all night until his balls went completely numb and dry.”

The blonde drifts her eyes down at her own body, scoffing in slithering disgust, “Chloe, believe me... I am just fucking lost with this as you are.”

“Then why did you even...” Chloe’s voice suddenly cuts to unsteady silence, as well as her footsteps.

“Why did I come here?” Rachel halts her strides as well, pointing at the ground, “Take over your Rachel’s body?”

“No… that’s not what I meant…” Even though that is exactly what she meant, but she is taking it back. Chloe furrows her brows, pinching her nose to curb her frustration. Sensing she is treading back to topics that incite both anger and sadness into _this_ Rachel. The punk mumbles deeply, “My head is still fucking spinning…” She jerks her head back up, rubbing the bumps of her bones that lines the back of her neck, “Let’s do this, then. I’ll keep it cool. Our mission is to get him to confess the drugs he sold to Nathan, right? To confirm if it is really true?” Her voice is no longer filled with resentment, becoming more sensitive to Rachel’s insecurities.

Rachel feels pieces of herself snap back together, as the tension eases between her and Chloe. She looks at the RV that is towering in front of them, only a few yards away. She crosses her arms, “Oh, I know it is true… but it is nice to know for sure.” Her head drops down, brushing her hand behind her hair and down her neck. Thinking that this man was the one that led to the demise of this timeline’s Rachel and eventually leading to all the events later.

“Can’t believe Frank would do this.” The bluenette also gazes at the RV with a slightly incredulous look, “And for it to end up…” Her voice sails off to a gloomy silence for a moment, just at the thought of her best friend was going to die from all this. And, eventually herself. The two girls would always party with each other. Even though they never did the really hard stuff together, just the thought of being anywhere close to drugs, disgusts the punk now. “Fuck, I don’t even wanna think about it.”

“I know, Chloe.”

Chloe moves to a good short distance, turning around to face the blonde. Her voice softens, making sure no one can overhear them, “Let me tell you something. Frank did seem a bit soft lately.” Her eyes roll to the hesitation that floods into her mind, “Well… I was going to keep this a secret… but might as well tell you.”

Rachel makes sure that only dead silence is emanating from that vehicle, then leaning closer to the punk, “Sure, Chloe.”

“I had a plan…” Chloe winces, paralyzing her own tongue for a moment, “Ugh… I use that term very loosely because I’m clueless as fuck like always. But I wanted to run away with you.” She wets her lips, maintaining weak eye contact with her friend, “And of my so-called brilliant mind, I was going to borrow some money from Frank. Of course, I haven’t thought about what story to throw at him. But when I mentioned it about borrowing his money… he didn’t exactly reject me immediately.” Her eyes dart towards the RV for a glance, then back, “Something else was bothering him, that seemed to mellow him out.”

“Really?” The blonde’s face light up, recalling how touching it was to hear the effort that Chloe is doing to maintain their friendship, by trying to ‘clean up her act’ and moving out of Arcadia Bay with Rachel. Obviously, this plan never went through in the other timelines.

“He doesn’t seem quite like himself… I think something happened recently. Usually, a guy should feel like he is on top of the world if he is uh… in a relationship.” Chloe blinks slowly, but her face remains calm, to avoid lashing out onto the innocent girl in front of her, “But not Frank… at least not when I talked to him a few weeks ago.”

“We will find out then,” Rachel tucks her hands into her pocket, grinding her sneakers into the parking lot concrete, scraping against the gravel on it. “Run away, huh? Me and umm… Max… ran away in my timeline. We were best friends.” She eyes the punk carefully, trying to sense if there are any harsh rejections coming her way, but surprisingly there isn’t. She continues, “I know you don’t like the sound of it since it fucks up with your mind. But… yeah, I dragged her away from Ryan and Vanessa. And, they hated me so much.” She squeezes her own arms close against her slim body, thinking about the only parent she has left. “I had to leave my mother…”

Chloe’s eyes narrow, waiting to see if she will continue but she doesn’t, “Rachel… what about your father?”

Rachel rubs the blue jay earring that is on her left ear, jingling it a little bit. Thinking how much she has grown up. Being disillusioned with everything with her time powers. At the time, it didn’t have any capabilities of actually time traveling but only providing cryptic glimpses of the future that twists her expectations in life. “In my timeline, my father is already dead. He died when we first moved to Arcadia Bay. So, I grew up here and met Max when I was young.”

Chloe’s eyes shoot wide open, “You… grew up here, in Arcadia Bay? … and not Long Beach?” Her voice trails off gently in surprise.

“Yeah…”

The bluenette blinks rapidly, her eyes drifting off into the air, “I remember… Something bothered me back then when I was on that cliff on my… 17th birthday.” The wind breeze sails across her skin, sending more unpleasant chills down her spine, as some of the darkest thoughts to ever exist in her mind on that day, comes back to shroud her mind. “I wanted to end my life, but Rachel stopped me. And, she said something about ‘walking to these very same cliffs’. Of course, she corrected herself but somehow I always wasn’t convinced.” Her fingers expand outward from a balled fist, emphasizing an explosion hand gesture, “... Just fucking wow… you two really are linked together. And, you knew about that too, right? You knew it happened on my 17th birthday…” She remembers what Rachel said during their brief fight back in Portland.

“That’s one of my powers. I’m not quite sure how it works… but I can enter in the past as a ghost to observe it.” Rachel laughs softly, desensitized to the thought of it by now, “Wanting to take our own lives, huh? That is something me and this Rachel have in common. Except, she seems to have fully recovered from it. She has all these people that care about her.” She twirls her finger around, indicating all of Blackwell Academy as well as Chloe to support her, “I, on the other hand…” Her voice trails off to a gloom quality, as her tightening throat robs her words for that moment. Before this sensation overwhelms the rest of her mind, she continues on, “Let’s just do this, okay?”

Chloe droops her shoulder, blinking at this girl, “Okay…” Sensing the dread and sorrow that the blonde is hiding.

The punk leans against the side of the RV, right by the door, giving a steady gaze for the blonde to proceed to knock on the door. Rachel takes a long deep breath, revitalizing her senses and confidence, then gives a few hard knocks on the door.

The piercing and chirpy barks of a dog resonate loudly against the steel material of the RV. The blonde winces slightly, forgetting that he has a dog. The dog’s collar jingles, as it frantically paces around the other side of the door, waiting for it to be opened.

“Pompidou! Sit!… Stay!” A man shouts at the dog inside the RV. The barking quickly subsides in obedience to the command.

The door pops open, a rugged man with short and dark dirty blonde hair that runs down messily the crown of his head. He is wearing blue and white checkered plaid jacket over a red worn shirt. A string of tattoos sail up from his chest and stopping at his neck, with a large tattoo of a gaping wound with stitches.

This is Frank Bowers. His brash appearance softens immediately at the sight of the blonde girl looking up to him with partially curious eyes, “Rachel…” His voice is solemn and soft. The small brown dog by his side cannot contain his excitement, leaping out of the RV to dance around Rachel’s legs. 

The student kneels down to the ground, brushing the short fur of the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed. “Heya!” She rubs against the small muscles of the dog, as it instantly lays on it back, already demanding a belly rub. Rachel gives into its request quickly. “...Doggie…?” Her voice is tense as she doesn’t remember the name of the dog.

Frank walks down the big step, connecting his black boots with the parking lot. “Hun, look I’m so sorr-” He halts sharply, seeing the silent punk with a relaxed posture coupled with a stern look that pierces even through this man’s tough expression. “Chloe…?” Noting the unrelenting look on her face, he looks over at the blonde that is kneeling on the ground with the dog, demanding for answers. “What is this?”

Rachel draws her head up sharply, looking at the man that towers over her, “Frank, it’s cool. It is just Chloe...” Already playing it cool but trying not to say anymore that will only incite more questions from the man.

“Chloe…” The man scoffs, raising his voice with the fueling frustration, at this blue haired wet blanket that’s getting in his way, “Look, I don’t have time to get you high or whatever the fuck you wanted a few weeks ago.” He gets down on his knees, tugging onto the blonde’s wrist, forcing her to release the cuddly dog, “I need some time with Rachel.”

“Nah…” Chloe talks over them nonchalantly, “...we like to know one of your clients.”

Frank barks through her clenched teeth, “I said… not now!” He composes himself quickly in front of the blonde, leaning forward by the dog and whispering to her, “Come on… we need to talk. You know that. We know that.”

Chloe rolls her eyes, “You don’t have to whisper. I know what’s going on.”

Frank straightens his body, confronting the brunette. His stance is a little weary, trying to remain calm, “What do you mean?”

Chloe tilts her head, not yielding her tough gaze, “I know you two are together.” Her eyes drift to the blonde that is looking straight into her eyes, “Rachel told me…”

Frank’s eyebrows quiver, gulping his throat that gently oscillates the stitching tattoo on his neck. With a blunt but fading irritated voice, “You told Chloe?…” His body turns sharply, again kneeling back down by his love. 

Chloe’s body winces slightly outside of his view, feeling a sheen of sweats forming on her forehead. She isn’t supposed to know about the relationship. Frank’s reaction is a very clear indicator that both him and Rachel had full intentions of keeping this completely a secret from Chloe. Resentment fills into her broken heart, wavering her tough and stern posture.

Frank shakes his head in full of disappointment in himself. He looks deeply into Rachel’s eyes, “Look… I’m very sorry for what I did. I wasn’t being myself.”

Rachel blinks slowly with her absence of emotions, looking into his brown eyes. Her voice is rather dry and colorless, “Frank, it’s okay…” She stands up, brushing the sleeves of her plaid jacket. “Let’s go inside and talk.”

Frank looks on with wavering and earnest eyes, then giving the small dog a soft nudge for it to return back to the RV. He stands up, following it with no words of his own. Chloe tilts her nose up, signaling the blonde to follow as they both walk uneasily through the door, closing it right behind them.

The RV is relatively dark as it is illuminated almost solely by windows that are covered by worn and decaying newspaper articles and posters. The windshield is covered by a large sun cover to impede more fresh sunlight. The skylight provides some ample lighting in the middle, but not enough on its own. The place itself is filthy, with unwashed dishes in the sink that looks like it is been drowning in its own greases for weeks. It is so disgusting that the two girls don’t want to venture any further past the door, afraid of touching something they are going to regret.

Frank lets out a shuddering mumble, as sorrow begins to creep up his neck, “You always called me, Frankie...” His voice is hoarse, uttering out his disappointment.

Both girls stand awkwardly and uncomfortably by the door, not wanting to get any closer. Rachel curls her body and breaking her silence, “No, it’s really okay. I’m just not myself today.” There is truth in her statement. “...But, there is something I need to know from you.”

Frank sits down on the leather chair in front of his computer desk. The dog wanders off quietly towards the bed section of the RV, “Name it… just tell me.”

Rachel leans snuggly to the wall of the small doorway, “Did you sell some drugs to Nathan? I mean some heavy shit...”

He holds out his stiff hand, waving it in the air and putting on his impervious business front as a drug dealer. “Rach… I-I… I know he is your buddy, but you know I can’t give out this information.” He clenches his fist, “It is nothing personal but I have to keep it confidential as a business.”

Rachel glares at him with her lambent but piercing eyes, not at all giving in, “What did you sell him?”

“Just your usual party stuff…” Frank is already caving in with his front.

The blonde arches her eyebrows in disgust, “GHP? I guess you can say a date rape drug is a party drug...”

He darts his eyes between the girls, “It isn’t used only for that reason. It is called liquid ecstasy for a reason, for that euphoric rush.”

Rachel shakes her head profusely, maintaining her deep stare, “Oh, I’m sure you’re going to enforce that to all your druggie patrons. And... you said you fucking cared about me?” She throws in that guilt trip to wither away what’s left of his defense.

Frank takes a cautious step forward, but stopping in his track with a single stiff hand up in the air, “Did Nathan try something with you? I swear…” He shakes his head biting the inside of his lower lip, “Look, I’m so sorry… you’re right. I did sell it to him. I didn’t think too much… I need to survive in my fucked up life, so sometimes money is money.”

“He goes to the same school as I do, as well as the parties. You don’t think Nathan might slip it into my drink one of these days?”

He raises his voice to almost a roar, “I will bury that boy if he lays a finger on you. I don’t give a shit about his family.” He quickly softens his expression, trying not to startle his love anymore, “I thought you were cool with Nathan?”

Rachel raises both her hands, to ease the tension, not wanting to put any unnecessary blame on the Prescott boy, “We are cool. But I’m just saying, it could be any girl. Another girlfriend… sister… someone’s daughter. I won’t stand for this shit, Frank.”

He nods softly, “Okay… okay… I know. I can give his money and take the drugs back from him…” He pauses for a moment, realizing that is actually unlikely going to happen, offering an alternative plan, “...Or I will just have to pry it from his dead fingers.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m serious. Don’t contact him at all about it. Just tell me, if you sold it to him yesterday?”

“I did…” His voice sails into the murky air, “Please don’t tell anyone this…” He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, “...actually… if you do, it is fine. Whatever it takes to get it out of his hands. I’ll take full responsibility. I let you down, my lioness.”

The nickname leaves the two girls with a dumbfounded look. _Lioness? What the fuck?_

Rachel blinks her eyes to wash out that stony expression, “No, don’t worry. It won’t come to that. I promise.” She steps in wrapping around the apologetic man for a friendly hug. Frank leans in to take what he can get, hugging her back. She whispers softly into his ear, “Thank you.” The words invigorate into Frank’s body with some hope, calming his tense body slightly. Releasing the hug, she takes a step back towards her friend, “Frank… I wanted to come clean with Chloe. Because I care about her a lot.” Chloe looks back with her quivering eyes, as the blonde gazes deep into the beautiful azure eyes, “I love her…” Her voice is soft and full of sincere.

Frank furrows his eyebrows, with confusion in his eyes, “You do?”

Rachel doesn’t remove her eye contact with the beautiful girl, “You’re a good person, Frank. A very good and sweet loving person. And I also love your…” Her eyes drift further into the RV, seeing the small brown dog, rubbing his ear with his hind leg. She looks over her shoulder seeing a doggie bowl with ‘Pompidou’ written on it. “...Pump...perdue.” She returns her gaze back to Chloe, “But… I cannot let my best friend down.” She thinks back how much Chloe desperately wanting to hold on, feeling her walls closing in, and doing everything she can to prevent losing the only person that means anything to her. “I have been neglecting her, but she kept holding on. I ignored her, but she never stopped caring. So, I want to make things right from now on. No more of this ‘twisting her heart bullshit’ to make her even think that I never cared about her.” She nods her head with a smile, “Because I really do love her. She’s everything to me.”

Chloe covers her mouth with her fist, as her eyes begin welling up. She squeaks softly, “Rach…”

Frank’s eyes dart between the two girls, looking on with a mixture of disappointment and happiness. “You two… are really something.” He digs his hands into his pockets, “I admit I am jealous because the amount of time you two spend together. The way Chloe looked at you all the time… I knew she loved you. But to be honest, I did see you two as totally inseparable from each other.”

Rachel nods softly to his kind words, “Thank you, Frank. I really mean it.” She gives a look to Chloe, signaling it is time to leave, “We will talk later. I need to head back to school.”

He stiffens his posture, “Again, I’m very sorry about everything. And, not thinking straight about my deals.” He wants to add something more to the end of his sentence, but his disappointment overtakes his tongue.

Not giving him any chance to continue, “No problem…” Rachel holds onto his hand, tip-toeing to dip her face close for a quick peck on his bitter cheek. Playing the act, and that he deserves one, even if it wasn’t a truthful one. She draws her body, grabbing the bluenette’s hand, pulling towards the door, “Chloe, let’s go.”

* * *

Outside, Chloe releases the grasp of Rachel’s with bitterness fueling her veins. She storms across the parking lot with a maddening pace. The blonde dashes after her to keep up.

Chloe snarls through her clenched teeth, “You didn’t have to do that… You fucking… didn’t have to do that… What the fuck?!!?” The words from Rachel were touching but Chloe knows they are fake.

They both reach the center of the still quiet parking lot where Chloe’s truck is parked. “Chloe…” The blonde rushes at her, gently spinning the bluenette around and pinning her softly against her own truck. She examines closely at the face of the sobbing punk.

Chloe shakes her head, with her puffy eyes and snivelling in sorrow, “Rachel… doesn’t love me. She loves… at least two fucking other guys over me. No one love or give a shit about me…”

The blonde sails her gripping fingers up to the punk’s shoulder. She repeats again, “Chloe…”

Chloe gazes blankly into the concrete lot through the body of her friend as if she is a ghost, “Rachel doesn’t love me. You don’t love me… no exceptions. Fuck everyone…”

The sorrow has already begun to strike deep into Rachel’s heart as well, sending a throbbing pain in her chest, “Chloe, you’re wrong… I love you, too.”

“Bullshit… you love another version of me… one that has a father, right?” Chloe points her index and middle finger at her temple like if it is a barrel of a loaded gun, “Not as fucked up as me, right? Because I’m a fucking huge mess…” The school bell rings in the distant temporary muting the conversation for a moment. The class period is over, as the transition period begins.

Rachel wraps her arms around Chloe for a hug, but the bluenette’s arms remain perfectly flat by her sides, not reciprocating. The blonde whispers into her ear, “Max loves you…” 

“Yeah?” Chloe tilts her head to the side, gaining a few inches for a full glare, “Tell me this… If it weren’t for the fact that I got murdered, Max would have just avoided me, right? Never giving a shit to contact me? And you… you are only helping Max because you were best friend with her in a different timeline, right?” She narrows her eyes in disgust, almost wanting to scream at her, “Why are you even doing this? What do you have to gain?”

“Nothing… I lost Max as a friend in my timeline. My only friend.” Rachel dips her head down, wanting to press her cheek against the punk, but Chloe doesn’t comply, leaving her distance. The blonde continues, “A part of me sees _this_ Max as my best friend before I messed everything up with her… even if it is a totally different timeline and she doesn’t even know me.” She lets out a chuckle at her stupidity, “It twisted and nonsensical… but when you’re all alone like I am, sometimes you have to take whatever you can get. No matter if it is fake or just pure pity.” She lifts her head, giving eye contact to the beautiful blue eyes, “I know you’re in denial, but be happy what you can get… It is better than I will ever have.”

“Rachel…” Chloe slides herself sideway, breaking away from the weak embrace and entering her truck from the driver’s side. “Sorry, I need to sit down in my truck… I’m having a serious migraine.”

The blonde looks down at the loss of heat from her body, as the brisk breeze bathes her smooth skin. She glances at her now empty and trembling fingers, thinking about Chloe’s words, about why she is even doing any of this. _It is true…_ She follows Chloe to the opened driver’s door, muttering under her tight throat, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to bring you down.”

“No, it’s fine…” Chloe leans back into her seat, running her fingers across to collect some lingering tears in her eyes. She changes the subject with her curiosity, “Rachel, did you meet my father?”

“William? I only met him very briefly but he is such a nice person.”

Chloe smiles through her puffy eyes, snuffing some of the sorrow in her, “He is…” She runs her knuckles across her chin, pondering for a moment. “I’m cool with him? I’m not rebelling like a whiney punk ass, right? If I am, please kick my ass…”

Rachel nods with her own glowing smile, “No, you’re totally cool with him. You love him so much.” She chuckles softly, seeing the punk finally showing some joy, “Chloe, I actually saw him in this timeline, too. With Max, I went back in the past. I saw him when you were kids. It was Max’s 12th birthday.”

Chloe’s head sails upward slightly, as these treasured memories flood into her mind, extinguishing more of her sorrow. “Oh my god… Yes! We were in Portland, in those pretty rad pirate outfits, right? I remember now! So, you saw that?”

“Yes! You guys were so cute together. And Ryan was so drunk.”

Chloe inhale sharply, then lets it out in soft contracting waves of laughters, “Yeah! Uncle Ryan got so wasted! Wow…” She wipes another tear that is already streaming down her cheek. She sniffs her nose to open up her tight throat, “Rachel… if you see my father… can you tell him that I love him?” She grins with pressed lips, initially thinking how absurd her request is, but more and more her heart colors her thoughts with the much-needed mending for the void inside her. “I miss him so much...”

Rachel blinks rapidly, nodding as the melancholy feelings are kicking back in, “Of course, Chloe.”

“Thank you…” The grateful girl tilts her head in a single nod. She then, rests her hands on the steering wheel, giving her aching body a stretch, “I just need some time to myself. I’ll see you at your dorm? Room 224, right?” She reaches over the seat to pick up and hand Rachel her bag.

“Yeah, that’s the room. I’ll see you later, then. Take your time, Chloe.” Rachel takes a step away from her.

“Alright…” Chloe reaches for the door and closes it. She, then gently squeezes her eyes closed, leaning forward to rest her head over her arms.

Rachel takes one last look at her, ensuring she is safe but giving her peace. She takes off towards her dorms, crossing the parking lot. She climbs up the flight of stairs, that leads to the rousing murmurs of the students that are out in the yard during the passing period. She tugs her fingers tightly on the strap of her messenger bag, gulping her throat and scanning the overwhelming amount of students.

_Alright, lets just head straight to the dorm. Gotta meet up with Kate and Max. Hopefully, those two aren’t making out._

She makes a beeline for the dormitory. Blades of grasses crunch beneath her tennis shoes, as she cuts across and avoiding the small scattered groups that are already lounging on the lush green floor.

“Ooh... hey Rachel…” An accented male student that is sitting in the shadow of a tree calls out to her. He has short dark brown hair that is much longer on the top, with black glasses and a more chubby body. On his lap, is a white sketching pad that has a drawing that he is already working on.

“Hey… uh-...” Rachel furrows her eyebrows to this guy, halting in her tracks, and already regretting that she stopped. _I should have pretended I didn’t hear him and kept moving on._

His eyes light up, “Oh, do you have to go somewhere? I was just going to ask if you had time so I can do a quick sketch of you.” The blonde looks up in the direction of her goal, the place she needs to be. The friendly boy continues, “We can do this another time.” He concludes his own request, with a hint of disappointment and gloom.

Rachel gives another look at him. _He looks like a total geek, but I can tell he is a nice guy._ Despite interrupting her goal, she feels guilty letting this kind person down. She walks closer to him, kneeling down and setting down her bag. “Sure, we can do this now.” She shuffles her body weight, winking at him, “I forget… how long does this take?” _Crap, maybe I should have asked this first._

His eyebrows arch upwards in excitement, flipping the sketch pad to a fresh new page. “You sure? It will only take a few minutes tops.”

_Few minutes? Well, it could be worse… Chloe may even catch up to me._

“Sure… go for it. Umm… what pose do you want me to do?” She blinks slowly in awkwardness, realizing she is absolutely clueless in what she is asking for. While she does feel the innate confidence that this Rachel’s body have, she has no experience in modeling or posing.

“You can sit crossed legs and just smile…” His eyes don’t lift up as he is busy selecting the correct sized sketching pencil.

_Okay, I can do this..._

Rachel crosses her legs, trying her best to relax her pose, “Let me know if you need me to adjust my pose.”

“No, I don’t want to make any suggestions to your pose. I want your pose to scream all Rachel-Amber. All natural.”

_Yeah… Natural, huh? Natural, my big ass. I don’t know shit..._

She remains as still as she can, tightening her core muscles to prevent it from swaying much. The artist begins his sketch of Rachel. He is rather pretty skilled yet speedy. The blonde tries to put on her best mannequin impersonation, remaining motionless as much as possible. What seems like a few minutes, feels like a hour for her. Draining away what is left of her patience.

“You look sad. That why I was wondering if I interrupted you.” The guy continues drawing, as he is wrapping up close to completion.

The blonde replies but keeping conscious straining effort in keeping her body and head both frozen in place, “It’s no biggie.” 

_I feel I’m close to Chloe now after that... squabble we had._

“Your melancholic look does add more flair to this drawing.”

“Ooooh!” Two guys shout into the artist’s ears, shoving him from behind and causing him to draw a wild sharp line across his hard work and ruining it.

Rachel gasps, at the sudden destruction of the poor artist’s work from these two tall guys that appear to look like typical jocks wearing varsity jackets.

“Let me see what Mr. Daniel DaCosta is drawing.” He yanks the sketch pad from the artist’s fingers, examining it closely with a smug look. “Woah, dude what the fuck, Daniel? Why did you draw Rachel’s boobs so fucking huge!?! They’re like torpedos!!” The two guys laugh hysterical, nudging their elbows at each other.

“I-uh…” The artist stammers in shock, his timidness, and the overwhelming oppression halts his tongue from even defending himself.

“Look, Gus!” The douchebag jock with a short dark brown buzz points at the jeans of the artist, “Daniel got a fucking a boner from drawing you, Rach. What a fucking virgin!” His other friend joins in with a laughter, “...Sorry Daniel. Rachel would never want your teeny weeny dick, hahaha!!”

_Alright… I’m going to bury these guys._

“Hey!” Rachel propels onto her legs with a burst of raging energy and swipes the sketching pad back. She drops it gently back onto the artist’s bag, not removing her furious glowering. Her heart is pounding with anger, as her past experiences with bullies erupt into a rage that empowers the rest of her body. She shoves the two guys with intense force with her small hands, “Fuck off!”

“Woah, chill Rachel…” Both of them stumble backward, almost falling. They lift their hands up, trying to calm the situation, “...we were just having some fun.”

The blonde clenches her fists, giving a scornful look at them, “Well, go jerk each other off in the locker room, then. Get the fuck out of here!”

“Hey! What is going on here?” A recognizable voice shouts at them, immediately halting the tense confrontation. Rachel cranes her head, seeing it is the teacher, Mark Jefferson. Her body freezes for a moment, seeing up close and caught off-guard to the handsome but disgusting man.

“Nothing…” The two guys say in unison, giving a quick but intimidating glance to Daniel, making sure he doesn’t snitch on them.

“Gus… Logan, go scram…” Mark waves his hand at them, and the two guys quickly follow his order. The professor looks down at the torn apart artist, showing no sympathy towards him, “...you too, Daniel.”

Daniel dips his head, quickly stuffing his sketching pad and pencil box back into his bag, “Yes, Mr. Jefferson.”

Mark looks on as the stubby student waddles away silently. Once the group is completely dispersed, he returns his glare at the blonde girl, crossing his arms, “Rachel, I heard from Miss Kirshman that you didn’t show up in her math class today. Where were you?”

A sturdy build man wearing a blue light jacket and cap, comes pacing towards them. He looks like he could be a security guard. “Rachel! You have an unexcused absence you need to clear up. I hope you have a doctor’s note!” He scolds her in a threatening voice.

Jefferson steps in front of the guy, in an irritated tone, “It’s okay Mr. Madsen. I can handle this.”

The other guy glares at the hipster professor, “Why do you want to handle it? She didn’t ditch your class.”

Jefferson looks at him boldly, “A fellow colleague requested me to look out for her perfect score student. So, I will escort Rachel to her.”

The security guard furrows his eyebrows, looking confused, “No, I will do that myself. I handle the disciplinary actions in this place.”

Jefferson looks past him pointing in the distant, “Isn’t that your stepdaughter over there? What is she doing here, this time?”

The other man turns around sharply in the direction Jefferson is pointing. He droops his shoulders, “Chloe… Aww fuck!”

Jefferson tugs on Rachel’s wrist briefly, then releasing it to signal her to follow him, “Let’s go…” 

With some reluctance, Rachel has no choice but to follow the professor, heading for the main building of Blackwell Academy. She looks over her shoulder, seeing a confused Chloe that is looking back with calm and wide eyes, with the security guard storming towards her.

_This ‘Mr. Madsen’ is Chloe’s stepfather? He is David… the one that ends up saving Max from Jefferson..._

#### Chloe Price

#### Arcadia Bay: Blackwell Academy - Main Campus

#### March 21th, 2013 2:56 PM

The punk looks on as her blonde best friend gets taken away by one of the professors in Blackwell Academy. Before she can give any reaction to it, she sees her stepfather pacing angrily towards her.

_Ah… fuck me. Here we go… Shit, I wonder where Rachel is going, though? She may got into trouble for ditching classes._

David crosses his arms, crinkling his nose and lifting his mustache, “Chloe, what are you doing here? You better not be doing any more pranks on this school that tried its best to educate your dumbass.”

Chloe scoffs, dodging her stepfather and taking off in the direction of the dorms, “Just leave me alone… I don’t have fucking time for this, step shithead!”

David chases after her, grabbing by the shoulder and forcing her to stop, “Chloe! I said ‘Stop!’ Did you make Rachel skip her classes?”

Chloe looks over her shoulder, realizing that her best friend and the teacher is already out of sight around the tall building, “Who is that teacher? The one that pulled Rachel?”

Her stepfather glares at her some more, “Why do you even want to know? Are you going to drag Rachel out of class, again? You are ruining everyone’s lives around you.”

The punk doesn’t erupt into a rage, even with the hurtful words from her stepfather. Her concerning thoughts is eating up inside her. Her voice is soft, “Just tell me… please.”

David arches his eyebrows, with almost an incredulous stare how delicate and polite his stepdaughter has changed into for this moment, “Umm…” He looks over his shoulder, then back, “...That is Mark Jefferson.”

The name of that man shreds all the warm colors on Chloe’s face, leaving a deathly pale gloom. That is the man that ultimately murdered Rachel. Her body jerks sharply to the thought, “What?! God… Where did Rachel go? Where did he take her?” She pleads with desperation.

David shakes his head and refusing her request, with his voice returning back to bold and commanding, “No, you are leaving her alone. Stop being a bad influence on her.”

The troubled punk darts her eyes around, as everything starting to become blurry in her frantic mind, “No, I have to go see her…”

“What a drama queen. What are you even doing here, you flunkie?” A female’s voice that is exceedingly full of condescending and snobbiness written all over it. It is Victoria Chase, a bitch that Rachel complains about from time to time. Walking along right beside her must be her friend. A light brown hair male student, that seems to be avoiding much eye contact with everyone.

Chloe pulls the strands of her blue hair, clenching her teeth. She tightens her fist, digging her nails deep into her pale skin. She’s fighting the urge from socking her squarely in the face, even in front of David, if it weren’t for a throbbing headache in her head, “Fuck off, you skank!”

Victoria widens her eyes in the smuggest manner, “Oh, I’m so hurt... I’m embarrassed that Rachel hangs out with someone as pathetic as you are. Why don’t you do everyone in Blackwell Academy a favor and stop dragging them down with your pathetic existence.”

David throws his arm and hushing her away, “Scram Victoria!” He turns to the guy that seems sick right beside the bitch, “...Nathan, are you okay?”

Nathan doesn’t even look back at David, continuing on even further past Victoria. He mutters quietly, “I’m fine…”

Chloe’s eyes widen, and again the air gets squeezed out of her lungs. She forces her words through the breathless throat, “Nathan? Nathan… Prescott?” Her legs buckle underneath her, as she falls down on the concrete pathway. Suddenly, it feels the world is closing in on her, pinning her body to the ground in front of the other Blackwell students.

David hurries towards her, crouching down and holding her, “Chloe… Chloe, are you alright?” His voice is distorted, hearing only the low notes in his guttural voice, “Here, just lie down for a moment.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: With the "dream team" established this prime timeline, I decided to change a little bit about the style and formatting of the story. Before it always revolved between "Alt Rachel" and "Prime Max" in terms of perspective. But I found this is a limitation as it doesn't dive into the Kate and Chloe's thoughts. And also they have to be with either Rachel or Max in order to "on screen". So, I giving it a shot with this chapter, which also resulted in a much longer chapter. :/ Let me know what you guys think about this. 
> 
> Chloe remains a bit more in the forefront again in this chapter, showing some of her struggles with grasping on... well... everything. With her future, Max and Rachel. She is going through a lot and almost lost in all of it. Her feelings are very mixed between her two best friends. She has been hurt in the past before, so she has to keep her guard up. But more and more she seems to open to open up to Alt Rachel.
> 
> The title of the chapter is named after a LiS-inspired awesome song from Eduard Frolov EFG. :)  
> Check out his work at: https://www.youtube.com/user/EddieTheMetalWolf
> 
> Anyways this is about it. It is more of a transition chapter, building up to something. Have a good one everyone! :)


	27. Swimming in the Flood

#### Chloe Price

#### Arcadia Bay: Blackwell Academy - Main Campus

#### March 21th, 2013 2:58 PM

The throbbing sting weaves itself through the individual folds of Chloe’s brain, warping her mind and displacing itself in rapid intervals of drowning thoughts in her personal abyss. Her muddled contemplation has generated many outlandish thoughts, regarding her own timeline and these other ones that she never knew about, including the one where she is dead and the one where her own loving father is alive and well. 

_Fuck, too much fucking shit is running through my mind. I need to turn this all off. I need a smoke or maybe blaze a joint._ The bluenette grinds her teeth, her nails wanting to tear off the skin that crowns her head. 

Her stepfather pats her back, gripping her tightly to prevent her body from faltering, “Chloe, are you okay?”

_David… he can probably help us. He was the one that eventually figured out Jefferson’s plan. But Rachel was already long dead, and Max was next to die. What if David could have saved Rachel? But my stupid dumbass refused to help him? What if her death was partially my fault? Shit… fuck this time travel bidness…_

Through the excruciating pain and the drawn out hopelessness feeling in her body, just knowing how dark hers and other people’s future are going to be, has been slowly subduing her rebellious nature. She isn’t one to simply take advice from people, but more and more this unrelenting front is subsiding in light of her revelation with the timelines. She confides to her stepfather, “David, what can you tell me about this Jefferson guy?”

The security officer shakes his stern and rigid face at the question, holding her to keep her from saying anymore, “Chloe, calm your mind. Relax...”

She protests against his request, “No, tell me.”

“What? What is there to say? He’s just a big shot teacher that’s huge in the stupid photography scene.”

David may or may not have any intuition or evidence on Jefferson’s motives. At least not anything that is tangible that he may willing to share. Chloe lets out a straining groan, “And... Rachel? Were you following her?” She has some vague knowledge from what Max mentioned earlier about her stepfather’s investigation, and how it started with him suspecting Rachel of smuggling drugs to the students at Blackwell from Frank. Of course, whether or not that is true, didn’t matter when she went missing.

He wrinkles his nose at the rousing suspicion, “W-what? No, I’m not.” His mustache quiver in denial to the accusation, “Both of you guys hang out with low lives like Frank.” He deflects away from the heat.

“I know. I know. We get our weed from him. Both me and Rach smoke out.” She speaks of their self-medicating sessions almost nonchalantly, not at all caring about any retribution toward her.

David’s eyebrows crease at her truthfulness. He gives some sidelong glances, making sure no one else is close enough to hear this confession. His eyes narrow, lowering his voice, “Chloe, you need to cut this shit out. And definitely no more in the house. You got that?” His brief harsh tone diminishes into a sigh, rolling his eyes, “What else are you doing? Are you reselling it to the students, here? Like at those damn Vortex Club parties?”

“No…” Her headache is slowly subsiding, but maintaining her forced tranquil state. “I just get high, sometimes. But David, I would never do that. Or sell any of the crazy shit.”

The security officer blinks slowly, almost readied to show some pity in how humbling the bluenette is, “Why are you calling me, David? What happened to step shit?” He grazes his chin over his shoulder, looking in the direction of where Jefferson and Rachel went, “Did you make Rachel ditch her class?”

 _So, in a different timeline, I have my dad. Why couldn’t I be the lucky one? Instead of living this fucked up life?_ Chloe stuffs a knuckle in her mouth, pressing her lips tightly against it. _But… Max, Kate, and this other Rachel… all came back for me. We’re here to shape a better future. So I need to step it up as well._

“I did.” Chloe nods solemnly, admitting in partaking in the act of Rachel’s truancy, “I had a falling apart with her and I couldn’t help it. I really needed to talk to her. You can pin this against me, not her.” Her eyebrows lower, gazing at the monotonous concrete pathway right beneath her jeans, “You know I don’t really have many friends…”

David looks at her with a perplexed look, but somehow nodding in agreement to his stepdaughter’s self-deprecating admission. His voice is calm, but also relieved from all of the overpowering presence from earlier, “I see…” The only words he could utter out, instead of the usual full scolding in public that he normally does.

From the direction of the dormitory, her childhood friend calls toward her, “Chloe…” The accompanying sets of footsteps scurrying their way toward the punk and ex-soldier.

Chloe looks up, instantly lighting up with the familiar smiles that cast away the shadows in her mind with hope, “Max! Kate!” The sudden excitement propels her tall and slim body back on her feet, brushing her rear from any grains of sand that are still clinging to it.

David pats on his stepdaughter’s back, gently supporting her to make sure she doesn’t collapse suddenly again. He lowers his eyebrows, darting between the two girls, “Hey, who are these people? Are they students here?” His bold voice of authority returns.

“They’re my friends.” The stepdaughter looks over her shoulder, “The few that I have.”

“Hi, I’m Max Caulfield. I knew Chloe when we were little but I moved to Seattle. I’ll be coming to Blackwell this fall, though.” The brunette steps forward, elegantly reaching out her hand for a handshake.

“And, I’m Kate Marsh. Pleased to meet you.” The blonde girl also follows Max in extending out her hand to the confused stepfather.

“Ehrmm…” David looks at the two stretched out hands toward him, with a dumbfounded look. The two girls with almost simpering looks are withering away at his tough exterior, “...okay...” He shakes each of the hands with his weak grip. “I’m David, Chloe’s stepshi-... erm… stepfather.” He squeezes his eyes closed for a moment, shaking in disbelief as well as heating up on his incompetence. “Are you okay, Chloe?” He snorts in frustration and already fed up with talking to teenagers.

“David, I’m good.”

The puzzled ex-soldier nods his head, “Alright…” He looks at the three girls, accepting the fact that they aren’t much of a threat or anything to worry about. Not wanting to stay a single minute longer with these teenagers, “Uh… Miss Kirshmann reported Rachel for her absence. That is all I know...”

The security guard quietly walks away in the opposite direction without any farewell remarks. He heads toward the main building, giving one last brief look back to make sure the three girls are still behaving, then continuing on.

“David?” The hipster grins with delight, almost laughing at the punk that is softening up, “Chloe!” She runs at her, wrapping her arms around the taller girl.

“Surprised?” Chloe smiles back at her, resting her chin on the shorter girl’s shoulder. Her body leans back, trying to balance herself from the attack, already knowing the answer to her question, “...I figured you would be surprised.”

Max pulls herself back, looking deep into her alluring azure eyes, “No, it’s great! What happened?”

Chloe sways her wavering head, “Well, my father is alive in a different timeline. Which seems fucking unfair to me.” She draws her body back, breaking the bond from the brunette’s who has a fading smile from this abrupt darker change of subject. The bluenette continues, “Hearing that makes me hella jealous. I guess I kind of understand how… _this_ Rachel feels… To be in a timeline where everything is better than your own.” She leans over, craning her head toward the direction where her blonde best friend and Jefferson took off. “I hope Rachel will find her path… Just like I should find my own path...” Chloe shrugs her shoulders but feeling a reaffirming sense of ease sailing up her spine, “And, David did save you in a different timeline and was the only one to expose Jefferson’s secret and Rachel’s death. So I…” Her voice lingers on her tongue for a moment longer, “...have to thank him, as odd as it sounds. So, I should drop the bullshit. At least some of it.”

“Chloe, whatever that will make you feel better.” The freckled girl sticks out her hand, gliding along the right tattooed arm of the punk, giving her some much needed supportive comfort. She tilts her head up, looking around, “Where’s Rachel?”

Chloe points behind, with her thumb, “Jefferson dragged her away.” Her eyebrows lower, recalling David’s words, “Since her teacher, Miss Kirshmann reported her absence.” She shrugs her shoulder, biting her teeth behind her pressed lips, “But who knows what he is doing with her...”

“Jefferson? Shit…” Max looks at the hair bun girl, who is also returning with a stern expression of her own, “Miss Kirshmann is the math teacher. So she’s on the second floor. But Jefferson has an office behind the stairway on the first floor. We can look over there, first.”

“Alright, time for some recon mission. We will dropkick this psycho’s ass simultaneously if he harms her.” Chloe begins walking backward, silently luring the two girls to follow in her direction, “Uhh… Max, my bag is in Rachel’s room, right?”

“Yeah. Do you need it, now? Or, can it wait?”

The punk spaces out toward the direction of the dormitory, “Umm… no, it’s fine.”

The brunette tips her nose up, not removing her gaze on her best friend, “Alright…”

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Blackwell Academy - Jefferson’s Office

#### March 21th, 2013 3:00 PM

Jefferson opens the wooden door to his office that looks almost of a Victorian-era library that almost rivals with Principal Wells’ office if it isn’t for the smaller size and shorter ceiling. The polished wood interior, large red Victorian rug, and large leather couch chairs provide a cozy and warm feeling that all it is missing is a fireplace. It isn’t a workplace you would expect from a sick psychopath, but perhaps it is the pretentious and charming appeal that he likes to maintain with his public identity.

Mark raises his finger, for a twirling motion to signal the cautious student behind her. He walks over to the large windows that run almost to the ceiling, shutting out the afternoon saffron sunlight with its large red heavy cloth curtains to hide from any of the passersby. There are already ample amount of artificial lights to keep the room illuminated in this transition.

He makes his way to his desk, “I’m going to phone Miss Kirshmann and have her swing by my office to drop off your homework assignment.”

Rachel crinkles the sleeves of her plaid jacket, as she will adapt the role of a student. Like a chameleon shifting its color. “Maybe she is in the teacher’s lounge.” Jefferson slams the phone, startling and pinching the student’s tongue for a second. Then the blonde mutters out the rest of her sentence, “...or something.”

His eyebrows lower, as the large frame of his glasses, obscure it, “Drop the act. Where were you today?”

The blonde relaxes her shoulders, gliding her tongue over her front teeth, as she comes up with a lie to give to this madman. “I went to see my mother.”

“Is that so?” His tone is full of skepticism. Mark walks to the door, open it for a moment to flip a sign that says ‘Do not Disturb. Meeting in Progress.’ He closes the door and locking it so no one will interrupt their conversation. He casually walks up to the comfy leather chair in the middle of the room. With a polite wave, he gestures to Rachel. “Sit.”

The blonde hesitates for a moment, looking at Jefferson’s eyes who are stern and difficult to read. She tugs her messenger bag tightly against her body, taking a deep breath and make over to the middle of the room and sitting in the comfy chair.

Jefferson stands tall right beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder. Each finger squeezes independently and in a cascading fashion that riles a discomforting wince from the student. He glares into Rachel’s soul through her eyes and observing every subtle movement of her body as she squirms from his tight grip.

The teacher takes a step to the front of Rachel and finally releasing his grip. He runs his index and middle finger starting from the top of her throat and down her neck, moving slowly and pressing against the pounding of the large artery in the tense blonde’s neck as if he is trying to listen the lies that speak from her blood. It traces down her smooth neck and reaching down to the neckline of the tank top. He tugs his fingers to reveal her panting chest.

Rachel tries to remain calm and avoiding any eye contact. Her bangs also shroud what she can see of the professor, so the only thing she can focus on is his bold fingers that are prying at her top. His breathing is calm and absent of any lust. Instead, Mark stares at the racy bra and curves with an accompanying cold silence.

Finally, he draws his body back, straightening his posture. “Good. How is your mother doing?” His tone is stripped of any tension and returning back to joy.

“Uh…” The blonde mutters under her breath with her eyes darting around furtively, “She’s doing fine.” The canned response is the best she can do in a reasonable amount of time, even though she hasn’t even made any contact with her mother in this timeline.

Mark gives a loud single clap of his hands, that perturbs the dazed student, “That’s fantastic. Well, I guess family does come ahead of studies sometimes. I would love Audrey to check up on me when she becomes your age.” A smile emerges from the neatly trimmed goatee. 

Rachel nods and rolling her eyes, “Yeah, I have class, now. So, I have to get going.” She looks over at the door to freedom from this teacher.

Jefferson follows her eyes and then walk to the door, unlocking it, “That’s right. Workshop, is it?” He creases his eyebrows as if he is pondering deeply about something. “With Nathan?... Right?”

“Yeah…” She replies quickly, not at all familiar with her own class schedule. Rachel gets up from her chair, then throwing tightly the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder, and heading toward the door, “...See ya, Mr. Jefferson.”

He reaches his hand for the doorknob but not twisting it open, just yet, “Oh, Rachel…” He smiles baring his porcelain-white teeth but his brown eyes somehow make a splash into Rachel’s heart. Mark nods his head and giving a wink, “Keep up with your good work. And give Nathan, my best regards.”

Rachel blinks her eyes slowly, returning with her own soft smile, “Alright...”

The teacher’s smile widens more as he opens the door and allowing the student to escape from his office.

Rachel hesitates for a moment, feeling a slight urge to say something, but not exactly sure what she could even say. Feeling she got off the hook almost too easy, but she could be overthinking it. Finally, she makes up her mind and heads out the office without a word.

The door closes behind the blonde, as she walks around the corner without turning back. She sees a sliver of Max, Chloe, and Kate peeking around the corner. Their heads are stacked perfectly on top of each other.

Max finally sticks her head out, revealing its entirety, “Hey, are you okay? We were going to bust into the office.” She rolls her eyes with slight disappointment, “...but then we heard him stepping close to the door. So we hid, instead.” She looks down at the corner she is hiding in, “Plus, it is probably best we don’t do anything reckless.”

Rachel glances over her shoulder toward Jefferson’s office, making sure his silhouette isn’t through the distorted window. She gives a silent hand gesture for all the girls to move further away down the hallway.

They move quietly to a different hallway with much less foot traffic in case Jefferson comes out from his office. The bluenette glares in the direction of his office, “I want to look at this fucker dead in the eyes.” She stiffens her posture, but the young photographer wraps her arm around, making sure Chloe doesn’t make more attempt to advance toward the madman.

Max pleads quietly, insisting the punk to remain calm, “Chloe, don’t.” She turns over to the blonde who just been interrogated by the psychopath, “Rachel, are you okay? Did he try anything with you?”

“I…” Rachel pauses for a moment, “He asked me where I was today. I told him I went to see my mother.” She softly glances around the quiet girls awaiting for a reaction. Kate gulps softly but remains perfectly quiet. Rachel continues, “I’m not sure if he believed me but he was acting a bit strange. He did let me go, though.” She shrugs her shoulders half-heartedly. 

Chloe nods softly, “Don’t worry. He doesn’t have any clues and he not going to do shit in this public place.” She looks at the two girls beside her, “And you got the dream team, here.” Chloe’s words rally the two dorky girls beside her.

“Yeah, Mark has no clues what we know.” Rachel takes a step closer, turning her attention to the hipster, “Max, where’s the workshop class?”

“Uh…” The brunette scratches her short hair, trying to remember her way around Blackwell but falling short on the spot, “...shit…” She turns to the trusty hair bun girl for some assistance, “Do you know?”

Kate squeezes her chin with her fingers, “It is in the same building as the gym. I can take you, there. But why?”

Rachel crosses her arms, taking a curious glance around the small and empty hallway that they are hiding in. “It is my next class. And Nathan is there.”

Kate’s nose wrinkles at the name of that filthy rich scumbag. The other two girls look on with a stony face, not sure what remarks to give. The church girl asks sternly, “You sure you want to talk to him? I mean, we kind of confused David to a point where he probably doesn’t care if you ditched another class. At least if he doesn’t spot you.”

The blonde time traveler hangs her arms limply by her sides, “No, I’ll go to class. It’s just an hour, right? And, I have done workshop, before.”

“Okay...” Chloe narrows her blue eyes, sighing softly through her pressed lips. She wants to stop her friend, especially after what Kate and Max told her about Nathan breaking into Rachel’s room. But Max and Kate begged her to not overreact, for now, otherwise it is going to draw unwanted attention. Chloe tips her nose toward Kate, signaling her to tell Rachel about it later, then she continues, “I just feel out of place being here. Like people are looking at me and drawing attention to my blue hair.” She points at her rocking hair, “And I know people here like Justin and Victoria.”

Rachel points in the general direction of the dormitory, “You should hide in my room. Max, you should too. Might be too suspicious if I have to keep explaining to everyone who you guys are. Victoria already asked about Kate.”

Max looks at the bluenette, then back to the blonde, “Yeah, we will chill at your place.”

Rachel pokes at the hair bun of Kate, then slides her hand down to her shoulder. “Kate, you can take me, right?”

“Mm-hmm!” She nods with her radiant smile, “Yeah, I can do it, Rachel. I’ll see you guys back at the room.” Her eyes dart between the two Arcadia Bay pirates.

“Hey wait…” The brunette digs hastily into her messenger bag, pulling out her classic Polaroid camera. Her fingers almost feel inexperienced and inept holding it, as it feels forever since she even took a picture. With everything that has been going on, her interest in photography has been the last thing on her mind. Now, that everything has been taking a huge turn for the best, she can finally revert back to the dorky photographer she has always been. “Let’s all take a picture together!”

“Yeah!” Kate’s eyes light up, begins scrunching close to the group. “Mmm… how can we all fit in this?”

Rachel huddles close to the brunette, “Let’s just squeezes together real close. Kate, if you don’t mind crouching a little in the front.” She gently guides the other blonde, pressing her close in front of Max. “And both me and Chloe are going to be side by side with Maximus in the middle.”

“Sounds good.” Max stretches out her right arm, pointing the camera downward at the group.

Rachel leans forward making eye contact with the blue haired girl on the other side of Max, giving a wink and a seductive pouting of the lips. On that signal, both Chloe and Rachel pucker their lips, each pressing it on Max’s cheeks.

“Holy cow!” Her eyes light up with her flushing face and the hand that is holding the camera wavers slightly with the sudden burst of affection. She can’t even look to the side much since she is being pinned down by the beautiful girls. “...W-what are you guys doing?” Her face blooms with the love.

Kate laughs at the poor girl’s predicament, then she makes the call for the stuttering hipster, “Cheese!”

Max regains her focus, then snapping the picture with her Polaroid camera. The motor revs and spits out a white photo with its image very slowly materializing. She lowers the camera, taking out the photograph in the other hand. Kate rolls off to the side and the two girls release their prisoner. But only for a little bit, as Rachel wraps her arm around Max’s shoulder, reeling her in to give another kiss on the cheek. There is no one else in the hallway other than the girls and it is something Rachel has been yearning to do with her best friend.

“R-Rach…” Max winces slightly from the embarrassment. She giggles through her ticklish body.

Rachel eyes the bluenette at the corner of her eyes, who gazes back with a distant stare with pressed lips. Staring at her lover kissing her old childhood friend. Rachel isn’t sure if she is content, envious, or maybe a mixture of both. To not rub it in anymore, she draws back her affection and pull away from the photographer and giving her space. “I’m just playing around, Little Max.” She plays it off cool, tucking her hands into her pocket.

Max gives her a toothy grin, “I know!” She waves the photo in her hand, “I’ll scan it one of these days and give you guys a copy.”

“Sounds good.” Rachel takes a step back, looking at the church girl. “Shall we?”

Kate smiles back, “Mm-hmm!”

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Blackwell Academy - 1F

#### March 21th, 2013 3:05 PM

The two Arcadia Bay pirates quietly linger in the foyer area by the computer lab that is much less traveled at this time, sticking their bodies in a small alcove section to avoid any more unnecessary attention. The entirety of the prestigious private school is large for its number of attendance, so finding a secluded area in the nooks and crannies isn’t too difficult.

Chloe crosses her arms, rubbing the side of it nervously and preoccupied with swirling thoughts in her head. Unable to get her mind off about Rachel and how she fits in with her own childhood friend. She shrugs this thought, for now, loosening up her body and leaning back against the wall, “Dude, after what that fucker did by breaking into Rachel’s room and getting a whiff…” The punk squeezes her eyes closed, disgusted with this disturbed individual that Rachel is trying to help, “God, fuck it. Let’s just kick his balls repeatedly.”

Max raises both of her hands, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one is eavesdropping on them, “Chloe, chill. Believe me, I understand how you feel. But, I do kind of feel sorry for him. I dealt with him in my timeline and got a feel of how broken he eventually became.”

“Well after letting Rachel die, of course he is going to be broken. And, I’m not fucking waiting around for that to happen. Yeah, he got some serious mental issues.” The bluenette swings her head side to side, rolling her eyes, “Blah blah blah, I mean I get it... you can be not yourself at times. And blah blah blah, he gets pressured from his two daddies. Fuck, it’s two more dads than I have.” She lifts her index finger, “But… he has to be somewhat coherent at times or be aware of the decisions he makes.”

It is very difficult to put yourself in the mind of someone that is suffering both traumatic experiences and mental illnesses. You can never feel or see what that person is going through. Nathan’s mental health is abused and ignored by his own family, as well as Mark Jefferson. The medications he takes probably doesn’t do enough if it does anything at all. A sliver of mental accountability of reasoning is perhaps the only glimmer of hope that Rachel can reach for the poor Prescott, to prevent him from spiraling even more out of control.

The hipster nods in agreement, “Kate did say he seemed… out of it. Like maybe he is having a panic attack?”

“No…” The bluenette scoffs, rolling her eyes at that ‘excuse’. “He just didn’t whack off in the morning and he wanted to get into Rachel’s underwear. But he can’t… so he just grabbed one from her room…” She clenches her fists with her nostrils flaring, “Fucking loser…”

Max pleads with her best friend, trying to calm her down, “Yes, it is disturbing. But come on, Chloe... Let’s just wait for Rachel to do what she wants to do. It is just an hour.”

The punk grumbles like a kid throwing a tantrum, unable to act on her own reckless accord of wanting to dropkick the rich boy, “Ugh… fine! Let’s just jet back to Rachel’s room.”

Before Max blurts out a speedy reply that is on the tip of her tongue, her body freezes for a moment as questions drench her mind.

_Could there be any information we can get from Nathan? Is there any reason to? Maybe there is some stuff we can help Rachel or Nathan with. Especially, now that we have some background knowledge that it is Mark Jefferson behind all of this. When I went to Nathan’s room in the other timeline, there wasn’t too much stuff to snoop around other than his second phone. But maybe things were different six months ago, where Mark and Nathan’s trust were stronger._

Max tips her finger up in the air, “Maybe we can break into Nathan’s room? See, if we can dig up anything else.”

“Oh, that’s a sweet idea! Then, we can fucking trash his place.” Chloe snaps her fingers, “Then we will email the school directory his entire porn collection! I’m sure there is some freaky shit in there.”

“You’re gross!” The brunette whines at the punk’s suggestion, but couldn’t help containing a soft chuckle. She switches to a stern voice, “David has the keys to practically all the rooms in Blackwell, including the dorms. But not the principal’s office apparently.” Her eyes narrow, recalling the awesome adventures with this very same person in front of her in the previous timeline, when they broke into Blackwell Academy at night. She catches herself spacing out and relay it to her confused looking friend, “Ahh! Sorry... just thinking about the other timeline.” Her lips curve into a smile from her ecstatic feeling, “...we both had to get into the principal’s office. You stole David’s keys, but he didn’t have a key for the office.” She sticks out a tongue, licking her lips in her joyful reminiscing, “So I texted this guy, asking for ideas to get the door opened.”

“Guy? Ooh-la-la…” Chloe quickly interrupts the soft-spoken brunette, “So tell me, does this guy have pecks of steel?” She pinches her eyebrows, letting out a playful growl, “Maxi-pad is into those, huh?”

“What?!?” The poor hipster’s eyes shoot up at an alarming speed, “No, Chloe…!”

“Hey…” The bluenette presses her lips, moistening them with a quick lick with her tongue, “...those freckles totally amplifies your cuteness.” The warm words paralyze Max’s body, stiffening her posture. Chloe takes note of this, and in a soft and teasing voice, “Aww… Max. You’re blushing…”

“W-what? Stop it!” She gently shoves Chloe with feeble force, pushing back both on the tall girl’s shoulders, but barely sending her just a half step back.

“Hey…” Chloe winks at the shorter girl, “I think both of your hands were meant to aim for something else. Like some softer pecks...” She looks down at her chest, as a teasing glimpse of her black bra is sticking out of her navy blue cropped top. “...now I know why you were looking at these, earlier today at the restaurant.”

The color escapes from the brunette, despite the warm teasing. As her confidence slowly gets squeezed out of her tiny body, slowly dwindling away from the remarks given toward her.

_The jig is up! Crap! And I thought I was doing such a good job in keeping this all a secret. Okay, Caulfield... who are you even kidding?_

Chloe takes a step forward, leaning her tall body downward to get to the same level as the shorter girl. Her slender fingers gently brush up the drooping chin, “Max, it’s okay…” She slides her fingers up along the cheek, giving a mixture of courage and love to the shy hipster. “Rachel told me… some stuff. And, I can get some ideas…” She trails her words to a tease.

“L-L-Like w-what?!” The brunette stammers her sentence, demanding for what secrets of her has been revealed.

“You tell me,” She crosses her arms firmly, “You were a chirpy little girl back then. But I didn’t expect how much of a pervert you grew up to be.” She takes a casual step forward, causing the already weakening girl to take a step back. Chloe continues, “What type of perverted things did you do with me in the other timeline?” She snorts with a smile, “...because I’m a bigger pervert than you are and I want in on it!”

Max’s eyebrows arch, as a churning sting tickles her body, letting out a giggle. Chloe’s unrelenting expression quickly reveals its playful nature, also following in a soft laughter. The brunette rubs one of her eyes, “Chloe…”

“You came back to save me. That’s also more than enough of a clue.” Chloe smiles baring her teeth, “Besides, if you’re not going to say what you did with me with your powers, then I’m just going to leave it to my imagination.” Her eyes widen, “And, I have _quite_ the imagination.”

“Chloe!” Max barks at her, but it tapers back to a smile.

“I’m kidding… sorta... Not really.” Chloe gives a playful shove at the small girl, “Alright… go on with your story.”

_I wonder what did Rachel say about me to Chloe. But then again, I did want to give her some hints. I’m just caught off-guard with all of this. And now I’m just speechless and stammering like a moron. Way to go, dork._

“Well, before I was interrupted…” The dork tips her nose up, squeezing her eyes closed in a rather smug but playful fashion, “...that guy taught us how to make a small homemade bomb. So, we both used it to blow up the door.”

The awe fills into the teasing punk. Her eyebrows arch in amazement, “Dude, that’s so freaking cool! We’re like ‘Demolition Pirates’!” She lets out a soft joyful laughter that slowly trails off to a silence, “Man… I wish I could have been there with you.”

Max dips her head down, closing her eyes. “Me too, Chloe. But we will have our own adventures, now. All of us.”

The punk throws both her hands up with a ‘thumbs up’ gesture, “Yeah, we fucking will…” Her voice becomes almost low as a whisper, “So, you want to swipe David’s key?”

The photographer nods, “Maybe if it is possible... we saw him walk into that office. I think it is just a small auxiliary break room for staff members. But note, the risk is high Captain Price, now that I can’t use my powers.”

Chloe wraps her arm behind the brunette, as they both begin walking in the direction to where they saw David earlier, “Yeah, the dormitory key that works in every room is a skinny silver one. I know it because David accidentally leaked it once in a random ass conversation.” She tips her nose up toward the ceiling, gazing at the fluorescent lights that pass by above her, “I wanted to jack his keys one night to raise hell in Blackwell with Rachel.” Her head dips back down, partially in disappointment that she couldn’t have that moment with the blonde girl that she loves, “But we never did…”

Max pats the taller girl’s back, “You will another time. For now, you have to settle for your ‘First Mate’. Right, Captain?”

Chloe puts on a half-hearted pirate voice, “Yar! We will go for that booty!” Her voice returns back to normal, “I can think of something with David, by the way.”

“Really? Sweet!” Max smiles with excitement that her partner is already catching up in this timeline. She digs into her pocket, pulling out her phone. _Blurb… oh shit! I should call my mom._ She halts in place, signaling the tall punk to follow as well. “I need to call Mom. I was supposed to when I got off the train… so I’m lateeeee….” Her voice grows with some urgency, as she fumbles with her phone.

Chloe eyes the clumsy brunette that almost drops her phone. “Careful there, MacGyver. Don’t drop your phone. But go on ahead and call your mum.” She swings her body, leaning at the wall close to Max.

The brunette swipes the phone and pressing it into her ear, “Hey Mom...”

A clearing of the throat on the other side of the call strikes an initial shock to the hipster, but it quickly diminishes as Max remembers the comical nature of her loving mother. Vanessa’s voice is stern, “Maxine Caulfield… I have been waiting for your call. You should have been in Portland hours ago!” Her words continue in an unyielding manner, “Here, I was going to think about excuses to cover for you, to your father. So... I think I’m going to just tell him the truth that his daughter is trying to ditch school and forfeit the rest of her education.” Her voice pauses for a moment, “Max?” She awaits for her daughter’s reply in her long stretched out ranting.

Still feeling astonished with her parents’ revival, she shouts with enthusiasm, “Mom!” Chloe looks with a warming expression at Max who is suddenly more lively than ever before.

Vanessa’s tone quickly softens as she questions, “Why weren’t you saying anything?”

“Because I love you, Mom! And, Chloe is here! She picked me up.” Max laughs, giving a quick glance at the bluenette by her side. “Here…” She hands the phone over to her.

Chloe gladly takes the phone without any hesitation, “Step aside, junior.” She gives a single hand shove to the brunette, who responds back with lowered eyes and clenched fists. The punk ignores the threatening but playful look of her best friend and speaks on the phone with Vanessa, “Hey, yo! Mrs. Caulfield?”

Max crosses her arms and rolling her eyes, “Stupid Chlo…”

Chloe paces back and forth in small circles as the brunette looks on, “I’m doing good.” She answers Vanessa’s questions about Joyce, “And Mom is doing well, too. Still working at Two Whales.” She glances over at her best friend, “Yes, the pink dress you bought for Max is very pretty. Max has grown to be a beautiful young woman.” Chloe takes a step back and tilting her body to get a better view of Max’s rear, “And, very well developed.” The punk gives a teasing wink, licking her lips and cupping her own breast to mock the brunette’s lackluster growth of her chest. Max responds by flipping the bird with both hands. Chloe grins with her teeth showing, “Okay, take care! I’ll give it back to Max.” She buries the phone into her chest to muffle the microphone, “Your mom said I can be your date for prom...”

“Oh, my dog… give me the phone, Chloe.” Max pries her own phone from the punk’s fingers.

“You just grabbed my boobies. My imagination about what you did with your powers was correct!”

_Groan face._

* * *

The two pirates peek through the door to the small break room, seeing the lonesome security officer eating his snack in a Tupperware. He has taken off his light blue jacket, trimming down to an olive green buttoned shirt and jeans. The characterless white room is small with a refrigerator and a small lunch table. There isn’t even a sink with running water in this break room. The worn amber fluorescent lights diminish the liveliness of the room, making it feels like you’re dining in a science lab.

Chloe peers at her stepfather with a slowly widening sly smile, “Heeeyyy stepsh-” She gets interrupted with a slap to her small but curvaceous butt, as she quickly spins toward the smaller girl by her side. The brunette looks back with puppy dog eyes. The punk smirks with her lips and whispering softly, “First my boobs, now my butt. I’m starting to get the hint of _everything_ you were doing behind my back.”

 _Yikes! Stripes! Didn’t mean to hit her right there!_ The brunette gives a toothy grin, rubbing the back of her neck, “No, I didn’t mean...” _Man! Rachel must have said something bad if Chloe is teasing this hard. She didn’t even do that much in our week adventure. But perhaps, she is more joyful at this time with Rachel alive and well. And, we now have a moment of calm to ourselves._

The punk resists the teasing, now turning back to her stepfather who is already alerted to their dorky antics. “Uhmm... David?” Chloe steps into the room, as the security guard finishes chewing with his grumpy mug. She freezes in place, “...Sorry to interrupt your burrito munching.”

“What are you guys doing here? Don’t make me kick you and Kate out... erm…” His nose wrinkles in confusion, looking at the shorter girl,“...you’re Max, right?”

Max breaks out of the comfort shell and boldly walks in front of the ex-soldier, “Yes, I’m Max.”

Chloe crosses her arms, almost stammering her words to play the part, “I, uh… did a dumb dumb thing.” Her hands pat all around her pockets, feeling empty inside of them, “I may have misplaced my keys.” She looks with David with concerning eyes, “I think I accidentally locked myself out of my truck.”

The security guard droops his head with a disapproval look, lowering his eyebrows, “Chloe, you can’t be so careless all the damn time.” He rubs his fingers together to dilute the grease evenly, as he reaches for his keys. He looks at the huge number of keys with varying color and shapes. “What does your spare key looked like? What shape did you pick when you got it copied from Home Depot?”

Max looks over at Chloe, who gives her a subtle wink for her to continue, “Mr. Madsen, it is finally nice to meet you. I knew Chloe when we were kids, but I had to leave shortly after William’s death in December of 2008.” Her body cringes slightly while maintaining a rather impish tone to continue her act, “When was it when you first met Joyce?”

“I-uh…” The security guard stammers, while losing his train of thoughts in the countless of keys in his hand, “November 28th of 2008 was when I first met her at Two Whales.” He remembers that date proudly.

Max clenches her fists tightly, knowing this is a tough memory to bring up for Chloe. But she has to play her part. “Oh, that wasn’t too long after...” Her voice trails to a silence, with obvious implication of William’s death.

His nose quivers from the words from the small teenager girl. He forcefully extends out his hand toward his stepdaughter, “Chloe, can you pick your spare out of here? I don’t remember it.” His face is becoming preoccupied with guilt.

“Sure…” Chloe says nonchalantly, calming receiving the keyring and keeping her composure from the mixture of melancholy and excitement. She easily recognizes the dormitory master key.

“I…” David looks at Max with a hint of despondent, “I didn’t know what Joyce and... Chloe were going through during that time.” His voice is rather sincere just like the David that Max knew when she got rescued in the Dark Room.

“I got it… I’ll give it back to you, later.” Chloe interrupts the soft moment, handing it back.

David takes the key ring, eyeing it with a stony expression and a loss of words. The bluenette races out the room, pulling the smaller girl.

Max looks over her shoulder, giving a quick wave, “See ya, Mr. Madsen.”

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Blackwell Academy - Physical Education Building

#### March 21th, 2013 3:06 PM

The two blondes walk through the hallways of the physical education building. The chattering echoes through the corridors from both the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms as classes are already beginning. This leaves the hallway rather empty with a few stragglers. The workshop class is located in the same building, but away from the physical education classes.

Kate brushes the shoulder of the other blonde, getting her attention, “Rachel, I have something to tell you. But I don’t know how to word it… without… ughh…” 

Rachel returns with a warm welcoming smile, “Kate, you can tell me anything. You should know that by now. Just say whatever feels the most natural to you. Don’t worry about it.”

The church girl gulps her throat, “Well… so both me and Max were at your room.” Her eyes roll around nervously, “And Max went to take a shower. So, I was all alone in your room.”

The enchanting model grins mischievously, “Did you take a look at the magazine?”

Kate’s body jolts up, a bit startled by the abrupt and unexpected question. “You had to go straight there, huh?” She clears her throat, “Ahem… okay, I did.”

Rachel lets out a short laughter through her pressed lips. She licks her lips slowly, letting the pure girl gazes at it as it gets moistened. The teasing girl continues, “Well, there was a box of tissue on my desk to wipe your fingers when you’re done.”

Kate’s eyes shoot open, halting in her track. She shakes her head and squeezing both her hands to her heaving and distressed chest, “Oh my god! I didn’t do _that_.” She narrows her eyes, “I don’t… do that stuff.”

The beautiful blonde scoffs in amusement of the teased girl’s reaction, “Sorry, Kate. Didn’t mean to embarrass you.” She fans out her plaid jacket, letting in more fresh air into her white tank top, “I think about sex, a lot. So, I do relieve myself by doing… _that_ stuff.”

“Nonononoo!” Kate waves both her hands rapidly, “I didn’t mean it like that! It’s totally fine that you do that.” She tilts her glowing head forward, burying it into her hands, “Oh I’m just an embarrassing wreck.”

“I’m just teasing, Kate. Sorry, it was a bad joke.”

The hair bun girl who is still hiding behind her hands, becoming slightly agitated, “W-why do you do that?” She clarifies, “Like… tease me? Are you… making fun of my upbringings?”

“No… Kate. I’m so sorry if you think that way.” Rachel leans her head closer to the same level of the embarrassed girl, “I mean it purely in a cheeky way. You’re just so sweet and adorable. And… I really love that about you.” She tucks her hands in her pockets in a relaxed stance, “But I’ll stop if you want.” 

Kate finally lifts her face, revealing her blushing cheeks. She reaches out tugging on the arm of the other blonde, “No… you can keep… doing that to me.” 

Rachel looks down feeling the soft hand of this angel. A flush of heat stirs into her body. Feeling blissful, she recalls her past experience, “When I liked someone, I always kind of held back. Maybe because I internalize and overthink everything.” She makes eye contact with the church girl with her beautiful captivating hazel eyes, “You may not believe this, but I’m actually also shy. So, I am afraid to express my feelings. Afraid that I’ll be disappointed.” She gives a soft nervous kick with her shoe on the tile floor, emitting a squeaking sound. “But I’m trying to be more transparent and not stress about these things. Because you never know when it is too late.” Her eyes focus on Kate but her mind drifts off thinking how it was too late with her and Maxine in her timeline. Actually, Rachel did show her feelings but Maxine never reciprocated those feelings or took it seriously enough.

Kate blinks slowly, “Too late?” The glow slowly subsides from her face into a more pale tone.

“Yeah…” Rachel reaches in brushing Kate’s cheek, running her fingers up the side of her hair bun and tousling a few loose strands of hair, “You okay, Kate?”

A tingle continues to twist slowly up Kate’s body making her squirm slightly. She resists and tries to keep her emotions from spilling out of her mind, “Y-Yeah, I am.” She forces it out to deflect the attention toward her.

Rachel releases her hand, letting the girl continue with what she was going to say, “Well, I interrupted you enough. Go on…”

Kate brings both her hands, squeezing it tightly against her chest. “Okay…” She straightens her posture, whipping a couple stray strands of hair over her forehead, “Nathan actually knocked on your door and I forgot to lock it. I kept quiet, but he walked into the room.”

The blonde traveler’s eyebrows raise, “Oh my god. Did you have a confrontation with him? Did he hurt you?” She stiffens her posture, doing a quick glance of all the visible skin on the girl.

“No, I managed to hide under the couch. But...” The church girl’s body sways side to side as hesitation continues to choke her throat, “He was acting very strange.” She squeezes her eyes closed for a moment, puffing her cheeks. As she lays out the most uncomfortable words she has to say next to the observing blonde, “He went into your laundry hamper and picked up your bra and panties and began smelling them.”

“Oh…” Rachel draws her body back, a mixture of surprise and unsure on how to even react to it. This is the guy that she is going to be defending against the wishes of the other three girls. She mutters softly with her delayed reaction, “...oh man. So, was he masturbating?”

“I-I don’t know. But, it was so gross.” Kate whines, shaking her head in disgust. “I was too scared to do anything, so I just hid the entire time.”

Rachel steps forward, gently combing the distressed girl through her blue cardigan. “No, that is the right call and I’m glad you’re safe. But I feel bad that you went through that.”

Kate continues on past the warming words of Rachel, “He was mumbling some words that I mostly couldn’t hear. Also, he said your name and Megan’s. He was totally out of it.” Her tone offers no sympathy for the Prescott boy.

“Yeah, I heard that he has some serious mental issues.” Rachel rolls her tongue around the inside of her mouth, fidgeting her body, “Combined with being stressed out by his family and Mark.”

Kate eyes the nonchalant girl, who seemingly not heeding any concerns that are being presented to her. Perhaps, this ‘benefit of the doubt’ is what caused the demise of this Rachel. Trying to move forward with her life and not standing behind the shadows of everyone around her. And, actually be free. The hair bun girl voices her concerns, “Rachel, I know you’re trying to defend and help him. But don’t think this is just a normal… teenager hormone routine. First, he just broke into your room without you being there. Second, well… _that._ ” An anguished breath escapes her lips, as her eyebrows furrow, “And third, he is not thinking straight and rambling like a psycho. Rachel, he is unpredictable. I feel like… ugh… I don’t know how to say this.”

Rachel takes a deep sigh, readying herself for more concerning comments against her future actions, “Don’t worry, Kate. Just tell me…”

Kate presses her clenched fist against her lips and clearing her rugged throat. A stream of unfiltered words lingers on her tongue as she refines them the best she can, “I feel like... I wouldn’t be surprised if he drugged you… to do other stuff.” Her eyes roll around in a single revolution, before giving a wavering gaze at the beautiful girl. “Photography… and maybe even more…”

A chilling breeze seemingly grazes her skin, forcing Rachel to quickly cross her arms over her chest to shield herself, “I-I… I don’t know.” Nathan does have an immense attraction to Rachel. There is one thing that Nathan cannot give but only Mark Jefferson can. A modeling career to get out of Arcadia Bay. He could be envious of Mark because of that.

Kate eyes the uncomfortable body movement of Rachel who has a stare that is almost void of hope. The stern church girl continues, “I feel he’s jealous that you’re with Jefferson. Which is someone that he looks up to but at the same time probably someone that he hates.”

Rachel’s eyes dip downward, staring at her sneakers. Her body wriggles as it ponders the church girl’s words. _It can be very true. He probably knew I was out with Jefferson last night. Yet, he’s trying to still be involved in my life, not wanting to let go of me. Especially in favor of someone that is his father… Mark Jefferson. Someone that abuses him. Nathan knows it but refuses to rebel._

The overwhelmed girl nods her head, “It is possible.” She looks over her shoulder down the hallway to the opened double door that has rousing echoing voices coming out of it. “Alright, I’ll go talk to him. It is that classroom, right?”

Kate returns back to her warm smile, trying to instill some confidence back into Rachel. And she is successful in doing that. “Yep, that is the room.”

Rachel looks at Kate one last time, “Alright, I’ll see you back at my dorm.” She grins, “Hopefully, I don’t have some stupid homework that is due in class. That would be awkward.”

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Blackwell Academy - Workshop Classroom

#### March 21th, 2013 3:36 PM

The workshop class reaches past its halfway mark as the entire class of no more than fifteen students are tasked to make a wooden casserole holder. It is divided into two groups to speed up the work and distribute the material and equipment usage more equally. Dana and Rachel are in the easier group of cutting and sanding out these series of wooden bars that are going to make up the base of the holder. The other group is in charge of creating the handles on the sides which requires more intricate cutting.

The two Blackwell popular girls are beside each other in one of the benches. Despite not knowing too much about Dana, Rachel is able to converse perfectly fine due to the cheerleader’s amiable personality. With a worn out sandpaper in her hand, Rachel smooths out the last wooden bar in her hand, “So Dana… do you have any crush?” She winks at the beautiful ponytailed girl. Her eyes drift down to Dana’s maroon tight shirt that hugs her curves perfectly. Her breasts are not huge and artificially enhanced like in the other timeline, but they’re not too shabby either. The way she wears her outfit always seems to lure the onlookers’ eyes to that region. And Rachel is no exception to that rule. Fortunately, the cheerleader doesn’t seem to care too much that Rachel is eyeing it.

“Mmm…” Dana hums softly to herself, sticking her tongue out as she also smooths out any imperfection from the machine-cut bar in her hand. “I don’t know. I kind of like being single and having options.”

Rachel examines the cheerleader, recalling how she was a good friend of Chloe in her timeline and decided to fall off the face of the planet to pursue a modeling career. And with her look, she definitely can. The blonde smiles, “You’re a beautiful person, Dana. But I can understand that.”

The cheerleader replies quickly with her own question, “Rachel, why are you single? You’re gorgeous and popular.” She stops what she is doing, prying her eyes off for a moment to make eye contact with Rachel, “Many guys are always salivating and talking about you.”

_The only people that are even on my mind is Max, Chloe, and Kate. And I’m not even sure if I can actually choose just one of them since I love them all so much._

Rachel shrugs her shoulders, “Well, I don’t really know what I want, to be honest.”

Time travel and alternate dimensions do make it next to impossible to decide on. One thing is for sure, she wants to remain close with the trio. She continues, “I’m too focused on myself to even think about someone else. As selfish as that may sound.”

“Nah, I hear you.” Dana nods her head, playfully wiggling her ponytail, “School, cheerleading, and partying kind of exhausts me.” She gives a quick glance around the class then leaning close to the blonde, “Just between you and me, I think Logan is trying to make a move on me.”

“Logan?” Rachel’s eyes narrow at the sound of that guy who bullied poor Daniel and caused a scene for Jefferson to defuse. Eventually, leading him to pull her to his office to have that awkward talk. “The jockstrap that picked on Daniel during our sketching session?”

Dana widens her blue eyes, dropping her lower jaw, “He picked on Daniel? What the hell?! What did he do?” Her thin eyebrows scrunch closer together, already seeping in thoughts for the worst case scenarios for the artist.

Rachel rolls her eyes slowly at the cumbersome high school drama. She is already getting a first-hand sneak peak in Blackwell Academy, despite trying her best to remain unnoticed. She despises bullies since she has been a victim when she was in school. “Both him and Gus were making some shitty comments as Daniel was drawing me. Like he is drawing my boobs too big and he is getting aroused from it.” She squeezes her eyes closed and pinching her nose for a moment, trying to keep the fumes from spilling out, “They’re just fucking assholes.”

“Shit…” The cheerleader lowers her eyebrows, pouting her lips, “Daniel is so sweet. Damn, I’m actually pissed right now. I’m going to go apologize to Daniel.”

Rachel blinks slowly, “Why do you have to?” She questions her but admiring her sympathetic nature.

The redhead sways her lean body laterally, “I don’t know. I just feel like… I’m part of that shitty group because I’m a cheerleader.”

Despite the depressing news she had to deliver, seeing the compassionate nature of Dana lights up Rachel with a smile, “Dana, you’re a very sweet girl. Don’t sweat it too much.” She reaches over and squeezes her shoulder, “Just do yourself a favor and blow off Logan. Don’t even give that asshole a chance.”

Dana looks at the comforting hand on her shoulder, then staring deeply into the hazel eyes. She nods softly, “Yeah… you’re right.”

Rachel gently releases her grasp then scanning all the smooth wooden bars that are laid out in front of her. She twists her body to observe the rest of the room and seeing the students are in different progress of the assignment. “So uh… I’m done sanding all of this crap. What do I have to do next?”

Dana gently nudges Rachel in the ribs, causing the blonde to flinch. The pony-tailed girl smirks at her, “You’re supposed to be the one that pays attention… not me!” She winks her eyes in a frisky expression, “So, you’re supposed to look for a person from the other team that doesn’t have a partner yet. Then, take all the bars over and give them their half portion and you get the handles from them.” 

Rachel draws backward, looking at the rich Prescott boy who seems rather lonely across the room and in his own zone, “Yeah, like Nathan? He’s on the other team.”

“Yeah, go with your buddy.” Dana wiggles her rear to rotate around on the stool to resume working on her project.

“Sounds good. I’ll catch you later, Dana.” Rachel tightens the red plaid jacket that is tied and secured around her waist. She wraps her arms around the wooden bars to carry it along with a bottle of wood glue.

“See ya, Rachel!” Dana says without looking back at her.

Rachel approaches the Prescott kid who seems entranced with the wooden handle, properly smoothing out the splinters along the curves with his smooth and steady hands.

_So, this is the guy that kidnapped and possibly killed me with an overdose? In addition to all that crap, he did earlier in my room. It is weird because I hate him in my timeline. Though he did seem like a nice person when I saw him and his sister Kristine outside the hospital to visit Maxine. But this Nathan…_

Rachel stops about a few steps before the rich kid. While he seems rather diligent with the work he is doing, there seems to be a suffocating and brooding aura that engulfs the mentally disturbed student. Her halted footsteps give an alarming paranoia that draws Nathan’s attention. His eyebrows arch softly, “Rachel?”

“Uh… hey, Nathan.” Rachel mutters a bit low in her throat. She stares at his nose, thinking that it just made contact with her panties and smelling Rachel’s private parts.

“Do you want to be my partner for this part.” Nathan looks at the empty stool right next to him, giving a silent welcoming signal for his friend to sit down beside him.

Rachel looks down at the wooden bars and bottle in her hands. A part of her body feels paralyzed, almost wanting to not partner with this creep that lusts for her. Nathan is responsible for causing suffering and deaths for the four girls. _Could talking to him be a mistake?_ She squeezes the bars tighter to her body, forcing out the words, “Yeah... are you done?”

His eyes drift back to his work, resuming to smooth out the edges, “I’m still sanding but I’m getting there.”

Rachel doesn’t reply back to him. Instead, she lets him continue, sitting down on the stool beside him and setting down her portion of the project on the lab table. She looks at him from the side, eyeing every inch of his face. Trying to identify anything troubling about him just from his face and body.

_Maybe Nathan is doomed. Trying to give this awful person a chance may unleash a new spiraling chain of events that we cannot control._

Nathan halts his movement, “What’s up?” His eyes are relaxed but it still pries a startling reaction from the blonde, knocking her out of her spaced out state.

“Uh…” The blonde crosses her arms, “...Nothing. What are you doing later, today?” She tries to deflect the uncomfortable stare with her own question.

“Later today? Oh… nothing.” His eyes drift coldly back to his work and resuming his assignment. “...Nothing.” He repeats his response with fading breath.

She blinks slowly at the Prescott boy. _Come on, Nathan… toss me a bone. Give me a fucking reason to help you._

Without asking for permission, Nathan takes one of the wooden bars from Rachel and begins applying some glue on the edge of it. Rachel holds her prying thoughts and resumes with the project by moving around the Prescott kid to assist him with holding the handle so the bar can be inserted into. The rich boy breaks the short vocal silence, “My sister is coming back next month.” He clears his throat, “Well… she is staying in San Diego.”

The blonde recalls the far more stable child of the Prescott back in her timeline. She had short and wavy auburn colored hair with a gorgeous face. She could very well be set for the rest of her life being the poster child for the Prescott family with that beauty. But at least in this timeline, she chooses to escape the grasp of Arcadia Bay’s most powerful family by joining the Peace Corps. Rachel forces out her enthusiasm, “Kristine? That’s awesome. Are you going to visit her?”

His head twitches slightly in response to the question, setting down the bottle of glue, “Nah…” His eyes dart back and forth, then spacing out on the sliver of amber glue that he just applied. “April 19th. She will finish her assignment in the Dominican Republic. She’s just flying back to party and roll hard with some friends in the San Diego area.” He droops his shoulder as his original nonchalant expression has wavered, “Then, she is going to reapply for another assignment to be stationed at a country for another two fucking years.” He clenches his teeth, puffing moist and seething air through it, “She’s just a coward. Running away while I get the full pressure from my parents.”

Rachel remains calm and not wanting to incite more anger from him. But she asks the burning question to him, “Why don’t you run away from your parents?”

He doesn’t instantly detest or scold at the idea immediately. Instead, he continues the project by squeezing the wooden bar tightly into one of the slots in the holder, that the blonde is holding. Nathan asks Rachel, “Can you run away from your parents?” He groans as he knows the answer, “I guess you can… You want to get out of this shit town. And you actually can.”

The blonde exhales sharply, lifting her bangs, “You fucking bet I will get out of this town.”

Nathan snorts off a stunted laughter, “That’s nice. Wish I can move back to Florida or fuck it… go with you to California.” He successfully wedges the first wooden bar into the holder. He then picks up the glue bottle to apply on the other end of the bar, “But nah… I’m stuck in the fucking town that my corpse will be buried in. And my parents are also going to be buried in it, as well. Whichever the fuck comes first, it doesn’t matter. This is going to be my grave.”

Sensing a mixture of despondent and anger in him, the blonde doesn’t do anything to calm him down. She continues riding on his raging wave of emotions, “Tell your father and mother to go ‘Fuck off’.”

“I’ve been doing this my entire shitty life and nothing comes out of it.” He slams the bottle onto the table that a few copper-colored drops spray into the air. “I bitch and whine and they just say ‘Shut the fuck up, Nathan. You have to be better than all those low lives out there since I’m a Prescott’.”

Rachel drifts her eyes away, spacing out the table in front of her. _This Rachel saved Dad, resetting everything and losing Max and Chloe. But Dad turned out to be an absolute scumbag of a human being._ Her eyebrows crease with a small bubbling fury inside her belly. The thoughts of her father becoming someone different in this timeline is a disheartening revelation that she will take to her grave. He has been someone that she admired when she was growing up. Like most daughters looking up to their fathers. Or a son looking up to his fathers.

The thought of it coats a sense of sorrow in her throat, constricting its walls. Rachel forces through her quivering voice, “Sometimes, you get pushed to a point where you just have to stand up for yourself and only yourself. And to find your own path in life. Your dad doesn’t know what you want in life.” She takes a deep breath in a fruitless attempt to expand against the tightening of her throat, “So don’t always trust him. If you see something you think is wrong… Or something you don’t like, just take a breather and think about it for yourself.”

Nathan cranes his head, gazing over at the blonde, “What do you know?” His voice still remains calm with a sliver of frustration, “You’re going to be a model. And it doesn’t matter if you’re short. Mr. Jefferson will make you famous… in one way or another.”

Rachel lowers her eyes slightly, “You’re a photographer. I think you’re on your way to be the next Jefferson.” She gives him a blind praise, “You can surpass his skills in photography.”

He shakes his head profusely, “Nah, I’ve seen how that guy works. Just on a whole fucking different level.” His eyes reach to the hazel eyes of the blonde for a moment, before settling back down, “You wouldn’t want me.”

“Nah…” The blonde replies quickly, rekindling the confidence into the Prescott boy, “I rather work with someone that is my friend. Not some professor, no matter how renowned he is.” She scoffs at that psychopath, “No point in being famous if no one I know is right beside me.”

Nathan arches his eyebrows, “Really… you don’t care about Jefferson?” His body stiffens, “What about your family? What do your parents feel about this? They wanted you to get into law school, right? You never told me...” His voice cuts off to a silence.

Rachel shrugs off nonchalantly. Not like she even knows what her parents want her to be in this timeline, “Well… what is there to know?” Deep down inside, she knows nothing about her parents in this timeline. Both her mother and father.

“You hated your father.” Nathan looks around, making sure the other students are not listening and preoccupied with their own projects, “You never told me why…”

Rachel dips her eyes down, as the returning sting sails up her throat. The Prescott boy is starting to grow on her as she confides to him with what she knows, “My father cheated on my mother.” She rolls her eyes closed, almost wanting to rewind what she just said. Even though she doesn’t have any actual proof, all the directions seem to be pointing there, “I want to forgive him, but… I don’t know how.” She sets down the wooden holder, leaning her side against the table, “He is a very important person to me and I can’t just give up on him. No matter what. And I don’t think he is evil.” Rachel looks deep into Nathan’s blue eyes, “I know you don’t have the best experience with shitty parents but… sometimes you just have to make do with what you have.”

Nathan gazes back at the weakening blonde, examining every movement in her face. With a stale expression, he mutters to her, “Are you finished?”

“Yes… I am.” Rachel nods solemnly, restraining her sorrow from coagulating in her head.

Nathan leans his head forward resting his cheek on the palm of his hand and keeping his steady gaze on her. Suddenly, doesn’t seem like he could be associated with mental instability or that repulsive sexual fetish. His voice is calm and sympathetic, “Why don’t you go visit him and have a talk? Just the two of you.” He wets his lips, “Next month, let’s take the weekend off. Maybe talking to your father will help.” His eyes drift unsteadily to the side for a moment, then returning back to her, “And maybe I can have a talk with my sister. Try and convince her to stay in the States. We will go to Long Beach first, then to San Diego next.”

Rachel presses her lips, puffing her cheeks to a soft smile, “That sounds like a great idea.” _You know, Nathan? You’re not too bad of a person._

Nathan smiles with a stirring amount of life in him. Something that seems almost rare for him. He twirls his finger, “Yeah. But… keep this just between us, okay?”

Rachel nods, agreeing it is best to keep everyone out of it, especially Mr. Jefferson. And she hopes that this rich boy will keep his end of the promise, “Sure. And you are going to keep my comment about Mr. Jefferson being some big shot a secret, too?”

He nods with a faint smile, “You got it.”

Rachel’s eyes drift down to the spiritual beads around her wrist as she brushes it, “Do you want to grab dinner tonight?”

“Uh…” The confidence in his voice trails off quickly, “...I have some plans later tonight…” He lets off a soft scoff, “Uhh… Really? You want to go to dinner with me? Thought you would be busy...”

The blonde smiles, instilling more warmth into his lukewarm body, “Nah, just busy hanging out with you.” She winks at him.

Nathan lets out an unsteady smile, “Let’s have a bite around seven? Promise not to flake on me, again?” He holds out his hand.

Rachel high fives him, then following with a fist bump, “I promise…”

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Physical Education Building

#### March 21th, 2013 4:03 PM

Both Dana and Rachel are the last people to leave the classroom as they lingered even after class has ended. The casserole holders are needed to sit overnight in the classroom to make sure the glue is dried before it can be handled. Walking outside, Rachel sees the hair bun girl, sitting with crossed legs in a polite manner on a bench in the hallway, waiting patiently for her.

Rachel hums softly at the sight of the adorable angel, “Hey Dana, this is my friend Kate.”

“Oh hi, Kate!” The cheerleader takes a few quick strides toward her before Kate could even have a chance to get up. She reaches out her hand, “I’m Dana. Nice to meet you!”

“Hi!” Kate squeezes the extended hand and shaking it, “Nice to meet you, Dana!” Her eyes are filled with joy seeing this sweet and beautiful girl that cared for both her and Max in the previous timeline.

Dana gives a quick glance at Rachel then back at the politely sitting girl, “I’m going to see if I can catch Zachary before he leaves the gym… I’ll leave you two alone.” She gives a quick wave of her hand at the two girls, “Catch you later, Rachel! And, nice to meet you, Kate!”

Both the blonde girls wave back at her as the cheerleader finally disappears from their sights around the corner. Kate grins like a little girl in a candy store, “I’m so glad to see Dana. She’s so cool!”

“Yeah, she is,” Rachel nods in agreement then scanning around to see it is just the two of them and the echoing chattering of the students on the other side of the building toward the locker rooms. “Hey, you didn’t have to wait for me. I was going to go straight to the dorms.”

Kate’s eyes drift off to the side for a moment, “I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay.” She reaches over to her side, picking up a plastic fruit cup of watermelon that she bought from the cafeteria. “I wasn’t sure if you’re into sweets or pastry.” Her eyebrows lower slightly, realizing that she still doesn’t even know the most basic things about this mysterious girl that is bonding with her more and more. Kate tips her index finger into the air, “But!... I remembered you liked watermelon from this morning.” She holds the cup with both of her slightly trembling hands, “Is this okay?”

Rachel’s eyes light up, feeling blessed by this sweet and caring angel. Almost feels like she is only one that actually went out of their way to do something for Rachel, “Kate, that’s so sweet of you!” She gladly accepts the cup, “Thank you so much!” 

“I have a fork.” Kate pulls out a black plastic fork from the bag.

“Oooh! Oohoh! Feed me!” Rachel sits right beside the girl with exhilaration, popping out the round cap of the cup and holding it close toward Kate.

“Sure! Only fair because you fed me lemonade earlier today.” She carefully stabs one of the red plump pieces from the cup.

Rachel smiles, raising her eyebrows, “And I was half naked while I was doing it.” She closes her eyes with her mouth opened and readied for some adorable feeding.

“Yep! I was on a safari looking out for leopards.” Kate giggles as she hones the fork slowly into the opened mouth until Rachel closes her lips to pry the piece away. The gorgeous girl munches in pleasure behind her plump lips, making clear audio cue of her satisfaction. Kate gazes at her for a moment, with slightly gaped lips, feeling a sting that sails up to her face.

Rachel opens her eyes sharply, almost frightening the church girl who is caught off guard in her mini trance state. “Thanks, Kate!”

Kate resumes her breathing, filling her stiff body again with the subtle rhythmic breathing. She thinks about her previous conversation, “I felt bad about what I said before class.” She rests her hands on her lap, still holding onto the fork. She twirls it nervously, “I hope I didn’t make you upset.”

“About Nathan?” Rachel smiles, feeling pleased with the direction her conversation went with the Prescott. “Not at all, I’m not upset at you. I don’t think I can ever get upset at you. Besides, I think it went well with Nathan.”

“Wow, that’s great!” Kate plumps her cheeks with her glowing smile, “And thank you, Rachel. You’re so cool and funny. And you make me really happy. I just wanted to let you know that. You make me feel very comfortable.” She takes a breath to catch up with her lengthy pouring of her internal thoughts and feelings.

“You’re going through a lot, Kate.” Rachel wraps her arm around the body of the shy girl who is starting to become bolder, “So I understand…”

“You have a kind heart. And you wanted to give Nathan a chance. Despite… everything.” The pure girl’s eyes drift off slightly.

“It plays with my mind, too.” The blonde brushes her long hair, jingling the blue jay earring on her left ear, “I’m not even sure if it is the right thing to do.”

“I’m sure it is.” Kate gently taps on Rachel’s thigh, “I’m right behind you on, this.”

Rachel stares at the hand that is resting on her thigh, then her eyes sail towards the cute girl, “You know, Kate… Whoever gets to have you as their girlfriend one day, is going to be the luckiest person in the world.” She wraps her arm more securely around the girl’s body, “You’re such an amazing person, Kate.”

“I don’t know about that…” Kate’s body sways slightly in the opposite direction, feeling a flutter in her chest.

Rachel reels the nervous girl’s body back in, not letting it escape from her grasp, “Come on, Kate. I really mean it.”

The hair bun girl clears her throat, “If I’m even bold enough to express my feeling to that so-called luckiest person.” She gives uneasy eye contact to Rachel, “I’m such a shy person and so inexperienced in all of that."

Rachel shakes her head with a toothy grin, “No worries! If the person truly loves you, they will make the move.” She gives a comforting pat on her back, “Then it will make it even more easy for you to reciprocate your feeling.”

“Yeah?” Her voice is soft as Kate holds a steady gaze into the eyes of Rachel. Breathless, Kate shuffles the hand that is resting on Rachel’s thigh to make contact with the beautiful girl’s fingers, interlocking them together. Her eyes waver slightly but refusing to remove her stare away.

A bloom of lightning twists from Rachel’s interlocked hand and forking into her fluttering chest. A growing urge to look at their physical connection but she cannot escape from Kate’s beautiful eyes. _W-What is going on? Kate?..._ “Uh…” Rachel’s voice sails softly into the air, in a mixture of surprise from this girl’s sudden bold move.

The sound of Rachel’s confusion strikes deeply into the church girl’s heart. Kate releases the grasp quickly, “We should get go-” Her voice cuts out to a soft squeak, as she looks away and trying to crawl back into her mental shell by distracting herself with the buckles on her messenger bag. She is already cursing herself internally for her action.

“Kate…” Rachel reels her in, but the girl’s body is stiff as a rock and refuses to face her. The comforting girl holds out the cup, “Have some watermelon?”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Kate breaks down sobbing softly, wiggling her body away from Rachel’s grasp. “I’m so stupid…” Her voice groans in frustration with herself.

“No, you’re not.” Rachel does a quick glance around, finding the restrooms are down the hallway, “Let’s go to the restroom, okay?” She snaps the cap back on the fruit cup and putting it carefully into her bag.

“Okay…” Kate whines through her whimpering voice.

Both the girls enter the restroom which has a cool misty breeze from the air conditioner. It also does not reek of a foul odor like most public facilities, probably because it is not used too often from this more remote location.

Kate marches across the set of half opened stalls, making sure there isn’t anyone else. At the end, there is a corner where the cleaning supplies are stored behind the last stall to hide behind in case someone is to walk into the door. Exactly like the restroom where Nathan shot Chloe. Kate stands behind this protective wall, propping one of her foot behind her and leaning back on it. “I run a darn abstinence stand and the bible study club. Both are huge failures.” She pouts her lips, “And my nagging mother is an ultra conservative Christian.”

“Shh… calm down.” Rachel gets right up close to Kate, almost pinning her against the wall behind her, “Don’t worry about those things for now…” She shrugs her shoulder, “I’ve also been teasing you a lot and throwing lots of mixed messages to you.” 

“Sooo? And you were saying about being _too late_... The story of my life…” Her voice whines slightly, “I remembered almost being too late in being there with Max when she wanted to confide to me with her time travel powers. Otherwise, I would not have known anything about what Max was going through.”

“Kate, but you do now... That’s the important part.” Rachel rests both her hands on Kate’s shoulders, trying to dampen the chaos in the poor girl’s mind. She asks her, “But what does this have to do with me?”

“I don’t even know! You said something about being _too late_ and of course I kept thinking about many other things.” She groans in frustration, feeling her brain being tied into knots, “When we were talking just outside this restroom, I got too caught up in the moment.” Her eyebrows lower, almost like they are asking for forgiveness, “And… I just started saying and doing stupid stuff.”

“You didn’t say or do anything stupid. And, you weren’t late…”

Kate’s body wavers in between the firm grips of Rachel. “Look at me and these pointless principles.” She sinks a little lower, “I’m just a walking contradiction. Nothing in my life makes any sense in my mind anymore.” Her head sails up looking at the fluorescent light above their heads, “Wow… now I’m just being overdramatic.”

“Shh…” Rachel leans in close, wrapping her arms around the broken girl. “One thing at a time, okay? Our life and expectations are always driven by our experiences. Nothing is ever set in stone. So we have to make adjustments on a daily basis, okay?” She leans her grinning face close to the church girl so it is only inches away, “Don’t worry about it. This has been a real messed up ordeal for all of us. After this is all settled down, just go back home and relax with your family and your sisters, like Lynn.” She leans her head up, kissing Kate on the forehead. The church girl flinches slightly, but remain perfectly still after it. Rachel draws back slightly, smiling at her, “Do that for me, okay?”

Kate’s head still bobbing slightly from the kiss, but she continues talking, “My mind is so confused right now. So I thought maybe I’ll give it a few days. But then, every time I look at you or even think about you…” Her eyes quiver slightly, “I mean you have Max, who is your best friend and someone you love. And there’s Chloe, who you know in your timeline and she’s hot and cool.” She glances down at her own body, “What do I have? I just give you watermelons.” Feeling almost worthless among the other more important girls in Rachel’s life. She would have been Max’s new best friend, but now that Chloe is revived and no matter how much she is willing to try and work with the friendship, she will always be behind the other girls.

Rachel grins, “I don’t think I have some weird fetish for watermelons. Yes, it is true I’ve only met you. Yet, when I see you, my heart warms up.” Her eyes are dreamy when this angel is in front of her, “I think we all love each other. And I don’t think there is a manual on ‘How to handle relationship while time traveling’ because it fucks with your mind and emotions.” She shrugs her shoulders, “And I mean… I’m in the same boat as you. I’m just a ghost that isn’t even from this timeline. At least you have some rooting here and can develop your feelings slowly.” Her eyes slowly make contact with Kate, “Who knows how long I have here?”

Kate’s voice is barely louder than a whisper, “Stop it. Please stop it…”

Rachel presses her lips tightly, not wanting to break the poor girl’s heart anymore. “One thing for sure… Whatever that do happens to me, I feel very blessed that I’ve met someone like you, Kate.”

“Thanks…” Kate’s voice is soft, still concerned with what Rachel just said. She rolls her shoulders to shake out the tension. “I…” Her voice hangs with initial hesitation but she continues, “...don’t want to keep sulking about my past and upbringings, but I feel so… lost and behind.” Her legs quiver slightly, swaying her body side to side, “And I’m just clueless with all of these...” She almost chokes on her own words and holding out her fingers, giving the ‘quotation marks’ gesture with it, “...you know? Sex stuff.”

Rachel giggles at the abrupt subject change but keeping it soft to not inflict any more distress into the poor girl, “Sex stuff, huh? Already jumping right into that, huh?”

Kate’s body jolts upward slightly, her eyes grimace to her own words, “No!” She runs her right hand, squeezing the side of her precious hair bun, “See!? I’m just clueless about everything that I don’t even know what to say or what to _not_ say.”

The playful model rubs Kate’s shoulders to ease her heightened self-disappointment, “Don’t worry! You did nothing wrong. Besides…” She runs up her fingers, interlocking with Kate’s hand up by her hair, “...if you were to make any of these so called _mistake_ s… Might as well do it with someone who cares about you and you can trust.” She winks her eyes, “Is there something you want to know? Don’t hold back or think anything is awkward… I’m here to help.”

Kate gulps her throat and bringing their interlocked hands down in front of them, “When I meant sex, I guess I was referring to just romance and affectionate things in general.” She takes a deep breath, “Like… I’ve been thinking about it a lot, lately.”

Rachel nods, “Yeah, I get it. I mean… I think about sex a lot, too.” She grins and letting a soft scoff, “I pretty much masturbate every day. Ugh...” She follows with a soft groan at her own daily activities.

Life returns back into Kate as she smiles warmly. Her eyebrows lift with enthusiasm, “You don’t have to be embarrassed. You told me it helps relieve stress. That sounds good.” Not at all disgusted or repulsed by Rachel’s honesty. 

_Oh, Kate… bless her soul!_ Rachel’s eyes wander furtively but also in a teasing fashion, “I mean… you seem to be having this type of stress. So… maybe… I mean hypothetically...” A sly smile emerges from her.

“Ahhh!” Kate squeaks as the uncomfortable topic shifts back to her, sending her stomach swirling. “I’m listening but too embarrassed to even say anything!” Her interlocked fingers quiver, tempting to shield her own body.

“No worries! I won’t say anymore.” Rachel winks at her then she pouts her lips, “Anyways, moving back to what I was getting at. Just to let you know and not to mistake with _this_ Rachel. I’m a virgin, as well. Even though I think about sex all the time plus my teasing nature… I’m not sure if I’m ready myself. And, that is perfectly fine.” She squeezes her hand tighter with Kate, not wanting to make her feel all alone, “You understand?”

Kate sniffs her nose as solace is seeping back into her. “I do…” The squeeze from Rachel has reinvigorated the warm trust with her. Her eyes sail up with an urging thought in her head, then it returns to the hazel eyes of Rachel. “Can I hold your hands?” 

Rachel smiles back, “Of course.” She reaches her remaining available hand to interlock it with Kate’s. They have their hands down low by their sides, which allows their body to be closer to each other. Each gentle tugs soothe the two girls, expelling out a soft chuckle from them. Rachel tilts her side slightly, “You know... I like this.”

Kate’s eyebrows arch, “Really? You don’t think this is… elementary?”

“Not at all.” Rachel leans in even closer, whispering to her, “Why do you want more?” Kate draws her body back slightly. She doesn’t verbally reply back but her face seems welcoming to it.

The bolder blonde releases the grip of her right hand, sailing it up to rest on Kate’s cheek. With her right thumb, she gently rubs the bottom lip of the church girl, matching it with the perfect curvature shape of it. Kate’s half lidded eyes quiver at the sensitive spot and showing weakness to yearn for more. Rachel senses this and leans in closer to plant her lips onto hers. Their warm breaths also join with each other as well. They hold that position for a moment, with the only their heaving breaths is the only indicator that time is still moving forward.

Kate remains perfectly quiet but not showing any signs of being repulsed. Rachel presses her lips together against Kate’s bottom lip repeatedly and gently sucking on it. She softly moans through her heated throat to let the cute angel aware of her craving. For not too much longer, Rachel finally draws back slightly letting out a long sigh, ending the growing intensity.

Kate also pulls to the side taking a deep inhale. She fans her glowing cheeks, “Oh my goodness. I need some fresh air. I started to hold my breath because I was afraid of making silly sounds.” Her body demands a mental and physical break after receiving her first kiss on the lips but she refuses to let go of Rachel’s hand.

“Kate, don’t hold your breath…” Rachel jolts back slightly, “And, what? Are you saying I was making silly sounds?”

“No!” Kate chokes for a moment, trying to defend herself. “You sounded… hot.” She squints her eyes, immediately cringing in what she just said.

Rachel’s throat freezes in place, then finally gulping to resume itself. _Well played, Kate._ She whines playfully, “Well, I wanted to hear you moans, too.” Kate responds with a toothy grin and sticking out her tongue, feeling awkward and self conscious about herself but starting to get used the teasing. Rachel continues, “But the school restroom is probably not the best place.” She gives a grimacing face at her cold and grimy surroundings.

“Yeah…” The hair bun girl also looks around but maintaining her smile.

Rachel chuckles at the undying smile from the girl in front of her, “We should get going, then?”

“Sure...” Kate presses her cheek sideway into her shoulder blade, humming in content. “But you’re right... I need some time to settle down my mind. My mom texted me to come home tonight to watch Lynn for a little bit.” She nods her head softly, trying to remain coherent with her heated breaths. “But then later, I’ll join you guys. And…” She tugs her fingers against Rachel’s, “I did like _this_.”

Rachel smiles back, “I did, too.” She takes a step back, but still not letting go. “But yes, that’s a good idea.”

The warm dreamy look slowly diminishes from Kate’s face as she remembers what she has to say to Rachel. Something important. “There’s something I have to tell you. And, I didn’t tell Max or Chloe, yet. But I think it could be something serious.” Her head straightens back up but her eyes still drift to the side, “So, I’m coming to you, first...”

“Alright Kate, I’m here.” Rachel also returns to her more serious look, gently releasing their interlocked hand to cross her arms.

The hair bun girl takes a deep breath, “I found a card in your room. It was addressed to you, but it is referring to your mother. Or I guess… _this_ timeline’s Rachel.”

“Yeah, I get it…” Rachel nods, “Go on…”

Kate gulps her throat, “The card is from my church. We have a program called ‘Journey of Hope’. It is a program for people with chronic illness. Or possibly, terminal illness, as well.” She sees the sharp disheartening expression forming into Rachel. Kate quickly grabs her by the sleeve, “I’m so sorry, this is too personal!” She cringes sharply from her honest description of the church program.

“No, not at all, Kate.” Rachel shakes her head, trying to regain a little bit of her composure in her face, “Shit… but my mother is fine in my timeline. I never saw her that much after I turned eighteen because I ran away.” She sighs, drifting her eyes up into the cold and dreary ceiling, “She’s like a ‘Supermom’. She works very hard for the Prescotts.”

Kate lets out a forced smile, “Yeah...” There isn’t much anything she can say.

Rachel continues to gaze at the ceiling like she is seeing something hundreds of miles away. Or, sensing something brooding from another timeline. “My mother is an amazing person. She is the sweetest person in this world. Right next to you, Kate. You remind me a lot of my mother.” Her face sinks back down to the church girl who has been smiling but with a hint of melancholy. Rachel continues, “It hurts to think about it. But my mother keeps thinking how she failed as a mother since I grew up with such a troubled childhood and ran away from home.” She extends out her hand, looking at her palm like she is reading it, “She told me she is going to give me most of her savings when she retires. So both me and Maxine can have a better life that was taken from us since our childhood.”

Kate crosses her arms nervously, nodding slowly. “Your mother does sound wonderful.”

Rachel looks at her hand some more, then finally reaches into her pocket to pull out her phone, “Let me call her, then? See what is going on...”

“Yeah…” Kate remains with her crossed arms, almost dreading what to hear.

Rachel slides through her contact list, then swiping to call her mother. The phone goes through but there is no initial greeting response. She takes the initiative, “Hey Mom…?”

“Why are you calling me?” Her mother replies back with scolding tone. 

Rachel furrows her eyebrows in surprise. “Wait… Mom, is that you?” She quickly glances at the phone to confirm that she has the right number.

“Don’t you _Mom_ me! Why are you even calling me? Did someone knock you up or something?” Her voice is filled with malice.

“Wait…” Rachel shakes her head, barely able to push her inquiring voice through the confusion that crowns her head, “Come on, Mom. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…” Her voice finally seems slightly more cooperative. “Everything just taste like shit when you’re doing chemo.”

“Chemo? You’re doing chemotherapy?” Rachel’s head sails downward, as the color quickly expels from her face. 

Kate quickly covers her mouth with her hands hearing the grim words. Her eyes begin welling up in the brief silence.

A fluttering churns into Rachel’s stomach, causing her to almost lose all of her strength. With what’s left, she asks her, “You have cancer?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: My friend Harpuia made a trailer for this story for losing a bet. :P His art and animation are awesome, check it out. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NXwlX_sSHI
> 
> Thanks for reading this super long chapter. The last chapter and this one is a bit slice of lifey with multiple scenes which racks up the word count. There were some important scenes that I wanted to throw in this chapter. While some may seem “more meaningless” than others, it helps with the development of the characters and that it is more natural. Not everyone knows the answer that will drive all the way to their objective.
> 
> Not relating with this chapter, there are a few things I want to talk about. As you probably you noticed by now reading my story, I’ve been overall pretty neutral with the four girls. Some people say it is a “shipless story” and some say it is an “armada of ships story”. I know this bugs the crap out of people but it is the complicated setting of the story. But who knowsssss… >;)
> 
> I like to talk a bit of the Chloe’s characterization and why I chose it. Alt Rachel and Prime Max do drive the story but I'm finally able to throw in time for Chloe and Kate.
> 
> In regards to Chloe and my headcanon of her in Pre-LiS, I do see her truly in love with Rachel. I mean Chloe had a ‘boy-toy phase’, so meeting Rachel has turned her to be more interested in girls. I know there’s talks about people comparing Max and Chloe relationship versus Chloe and Rachel relationship, and which one is better. Of course, as players of the game, people will say Max and Chloe’s relationship is better. Because Max protected Chloe and they’re childhood friends and so on. And that Rachel and Chloe were a hot mess at best. Well, keep in mind that Max also had time travel powers, too. Chloe is also a hothead, too. If it weren’t for Max’s time travel powers (ignoring bathroom scene with Nathan), Chloe would have got Max killed in the Dark Room with her vengeance for Rachel’s death. In that scenario, both Chloe and Max would have been dead. What I’m trying to say, when you see the consequences and have a second chance, everyone’s priorities will change. Another thing people often say is, Max and Chloe are childhood friends, therefore they’re better. I would like to counter that to say, who do people care more? Very close recent friends or childhood friends in the past? I think many people will chose recent friends, because people live in the moment and not in the past. 
> 
> I know some people see Chloe was using Rachel as a rebound from Max’s departure and I think that is true. When you have no one, you will grasp on whatever you can get. I think that is normal human nature. In fact, my story does outline some of this as well. Like Kate was Max’s angel and going to be eventual best friend with Chloe’s death, but then rewind happens and now Chloe is back alive. Max will naturally sway back to Chloe and almost "forget" about her time with Kate. (Since that 'no longer happened', right?)
> 
> Overall, I don’t think it is a fair comparison, because Rachel didn’t have time travel powers. (or maybe she did like in this story! :P) I’m not defending AmberPrice or whatever. I just feel sometimes the LiS fandom tend to look at it only from the perspective of Max, and only in that five days that the game lets you play. There is more to the story than what we see. And everyone has their own headcanon with it. 
> 
> Another fun fact about me, I’m actually a Bay > Bae person. Though I’m not hardcore as some “Bayers”. I do wonder how many "Bayers" are out there writing fics or doing creative works. I do feel they tend to leave the fandom more quicker than "Baers". Originally, I was actually Bae when I beat the game and started writing this story. I feel my decision changed mainly because of this story. I feel this story kind of changed my perspective about the game a bit. It made me love the “minor characters” like Kate and Rachel more. Slowly my “honeymoon state” with Chloe withered away. I wasn’t ever madly in love with Chloe even when I was playing the game, but I thought she was cool. I think a good chunk of fandom think she is the perfect angel, blah blah blah… so I began to scratch my head with that and started to question. And of course, writing a Post-Bay fic does have a little effect too. :P I like Pricefield but as my story tries to state… other ships were/are possible. With that said, I do like Chloe, but I may kind of portray her a little differently but I still care about her. Anyways, to be honest, both endings are awful, because Max suffers greatly in both. It isn’t something you just simply walk away from.
> 
> Anyways I’m done rambling… I mean this chapter was already long. I do feel the future ones will be going in a more concise path. :) Let me know what you guys think.


	28. Behind the Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy theme, so may be triggering for some readers.
> 
> Note: The first scene in this chapter happens at an earlier time than the final scene in the previous chapter.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Prescott Dormitory - Room 111

#### March 21th, 2013 3:33 PM

A rupture of luminous gold color oozes into the dark room of the Prescott kid with two slim shadows slipping in before the light gets quickly consumed by the sweep of darkness with the shutting of the door. The two girls halt in place, now second-guessing themselves on whether or not someone else is in the room with them.

Nathan’s room is shaded with white blinds that shroud the sun, leaving only soft whispers of light to creep onto the window sill to maintain the room’s menacing and dreary vibes. The projector that hangs in the center of the room is carelessly left on, but no video is being played. Instead, the hissing fan accompanies with the flickering spotty noise plastering onto the wall to leave a haunting glow to the rest of the room.

After a few reassuring glances at the darker pockets of the room and finally convinced that the rich kid is actually in class, Chloe bursts like a little kid, “Dude, this is so fucking rad!”

“Shh… Chloe.” Max expels sharply to shush the excitement with scalding breath but it quickly tapers off into a frisky tone. “I know he is in class with Rachel right now, but we have to keep it down.” She waves her hands frantically in an effort to calm her best friend.

“Chill, we got this.” Chloe saunters, not at all fazed by the mysterious and ominous room. She rolls her shoulders to a flexing of her arms, “Besides, I can be your muscles if the shit hits the fan.” Her eyes scan slowly along her veins and faint muscle definitions that protrude out of her slim arms.

“Let’s avoid that if we can and just make this quick.” Max strides boldly to the computer as she is already familiar with the room that hasn’t changed much from last week. “First things first… the computer.”

The bluenette’s eyes light up with her ambitions, “Porn! Porn! Porn!” She chants almost wanting to nudge the girl off from the seat to get to her goal.

Max leans over, shaking the mouse to remove it out of the screensaver mode, “Down boy, we have some important sleuthing to do.” 

“Oooh… what do we have here?” A magazine peeks out from beneath the bed. The punk drops to the floor, picking up the treasure and humming in amusement, “Busty Girls of Oregon? The Big Butts of the Pacific Coast? Verrri Naiceeee...” Chloe nods in delight, at the voluptuous brunette on the cover whose chest is obstructed by tactically placed magazine text. The ogling girl’s face freezes for a moment with her mouth slightly gaped as she is now mesmerized by the sultry model.

Max observes all of this with merriment that she hops off the chair just to gently wring on the salivating girl by her jaws, “Ahoy Captain! I spotted two large curvy landmasses dead ahead. What should we do?”

Chloe is not disturbed by her best friend’s friendly attack. She mutters through her slightly entranced state, “Erm… I say we should steer in between them and just ram our motorboat repeatedly into them.”

The brunette nearly hurls the wad of spit from her mouth, “Oh god, Chloe!” She playfully slaps her, then pushing herself up from her best friend’s body and back onto the desk chair.

“What?” Chloe barks at her like a puppy, “Are you saying there’s a better girl with brown hair that I can motorboat here?”

“Well…” Max scans around the monitor, getting familiar with Nathan’s desktop, “...you can try but it’s going to hurt you.” She warns with a cheeky manner that anyone rubbing their face into the _Flatville_ of her chest is going to regret it.

“Are you daring me, Caulfield?” The bluenette raises her voice to a false stern voice, “Knowing that I’m Chloe Price and I take no prisoners?” Max dips her blushing head, casting an unexpected giggle through her pressed lips. Chloe arches her eyebrows, a bit amused that someone could be laughing at her terrible joke, “What?”

The hipster brushes both her blooming cheeks, feeling the redness of her skin, “Wow, you double dared me in the previous timeline.”

Chloe whistles, licking her lips, “What did I dare you to do?”

A smile grows on the freckled girl’s face, “To kiss you…”

“Really? Just like that, huh?” The punk waddles closer, still in the kneeling position. “Alright, I’m fucking catching up, then. You give me a kiss then I give you a motor boat?”

 _Groan face._ Max exhales with a slight laughter, “What’s the point in motor boating me? Just rub your face on my back, it’ll be the same.” She stiffens her spine, wiggling her shoulders. The brunette is feeling bolder, not minding a self-deprecating joke or feeling self-conscious of her lackluster body.

“I’ll take what I can get,” Chloe leans in, thrashing her face into the hoodie jacket of the hipster’s back, making exaggerated muffled moans. She then pries her head out and shifts toward her best friend, revealing her impish and playful face.

Max looks back, grinning in laughter, then simply smiling in awe at the beautiful girl that she tried so hard to save, but is finally alive. _Max, why are you so embarrassed now? You remembered her reaction._ She blinks her eyes slowly, as Chloe looks back with her wide ocean-blue eyes with an inviting smile. _Shit, but Rachel is alive… how do I truly compare to her, now? Ah dork, this is Chloe. Just do it. You got this._ The time traveler inhales deeply, closing her eyes and drawing in close to press her lips against Chloe, sliding her right hand to gently cradle Chloe’s cheek to angle the kiss. Their first kiss was from the dare. The second was out in the cliff, in front of the raging tornado before Max had to pay the ultimate price of sacrificing her best friend. Now, the third time, she isn’t going to let her go again. She is going to protect Chloe, no matter what it takes.

Chloe’s arches her eyebrows with the bold move from her best friend, wanting to jerk her body away and masking her rare shyness with a joke but also finding it difficult to resist this girl who went through all those troubles in another timeline. Their breaths are quickening and elevating, but not as fast as the confusion that is ramping up at an alarming speed in Chloe’s mind. Finding this to be a little uncomfortable to continue, she does what she could do to deflect the moment.

Max feels something prodding her stomach that causes her to pull back to abruptly end her first kiss with Chloe in this timeline. She looks down seeing the bluenette is slapping back and forth with the dirty magazine. “Chloe, what are you doing?”

Chloe pouts her lips, “I see some sticky marks on it, so Nathan probably jizzed on it when he was stroking it to this magazine.” She sticks out her tongue, “Just wanted to rub it onto your clothes.”

“Eww! Gross!” The hipster bares her teeth, swiping the magazine away from her and then shoving it up beneath Chloe’s shirt, rubbing the reading material onto the skin of her dorky friend. 

Chloe wraps her arms around herself, holding her shirt down, “Hey! I was kidding. You’re a dork, Caulfield.”

“You’re the dork, Captain Dork!” Max giggles, while she did enjoy kissing Chloe, it is probably best to not rush anything with their relationship. “I remembered a similar magazine in your hideout.”

“Oh, you saw those?” Chloe focuses her large blue eyes at the photographer while removing the magazine from beneath her shirt, “Yeah, I was getting fed up with dumb boys. Then, starting to find some chicks to be hot. Well…” She snorts and gently graze the brunette, “I always thought girls are hot.” A toothy grin emerges from her face that the darkness of the room hides her blush, “Also, meeting Rachel…” Her eyebrows arch, piqued with interest, “Maximo, do you think she’s pretty?”

Max winces slightly, almost stammering her words, “Y-y-yeah, of course…” It isn’t so much the question that is choking her throat but rather the inquiring thoughts about her best friend and her interest in Rachel. _I know she was crushing on Rachel but… how much?_ Her eyes narrow, recalling something that has been boiling deep inside her since Portland. She gulps her throat, “What was the thing that Rachel did with you this morning? You were going to say it outside the restaurant at lunch.”

Chloe leans her body away, falling back so she is no longer kneeling. Instead, she is sitting on her butt on the floor of the dorm, “Nothing, we just hung out.”

Max turns her body more, almost ready to interrogate the rather timid punk, “I’m your best friend, Chloe. Did you guys just make out or…” The brunette trails her voice as her nosiness and curiosity are overtaking her throat.

Chloe lets out a sigh with a soft expression. Her skin is eerily white from the soft glow of Nathan’s computer monitor. “Max, it is a bit personal. I still love Rachel…” Her eyes drift to the side, “...a lot.”

Chloe’s words send a biting haze into Max, subduing much of her cheeriness from before. Earlier, she was happy just for everyone to be together. But now she is being more accustomed to this timeline, she wants more. She craves for more. Despite not wanting to use her powers, she doesn’t want to be an idle bystander from everything she has learned in the past week. She wants to cement herself to be the rightful best friend that Chloe has ever had. All her actions, effort and feelings that she shared with the Chloe of the previous week, she wants it to be recognized and known.

 _So, they definitely did something together. It’s so damn unfair. I know Chloe knows a little but not enough about how much I went through to save her. If only she knew… If only she knew..._ She curbs the rising bitterness and frustration but her sullen look remains.

Disheartened, Chloe tries to isolate what could be bothering Max. “Do you like her, too?” She adds to her question to make it more welcoming to her more reserved friend, “I won’t get upset... I know you have some history with her.”

“No, she has a history with an alternate version of me.” Max makes the correction boldly, “I’ve never met her prior to yesterday.” She shrugs her shoulders, “Well, yesterday my timeline. Shit, this is very confusing.”

Chloe’s voice is faint, “Alright… alright…” She waves her hands dismissively.

Max’s eyebrows lower with pressed lips, “For Mom and Dad…” She leans forward but still being rooted on the seat of her chair to squeeze Chloe’s shoulder, “And I came back for you, Chloe.” _It is true. I love Mom. I love Dad. And, I love you, Chloe._

“And, I hella appreciate it, Max.” Chloe smiles cheerfully, reaching her hand to squeeze the photographer’s hand. 

Max looks deeply, feeling almost drowned and oddly lonely in front of her best friend, even after the praise. _No…_ She lowers herself to the carpet to join her on the floor. 

Her dissatisfaction continues to dig apart her skin. Last week, she felt like a hero with her time powers to do whatever she can to save Chloe and solve Rachel’s disappearance. Her powers eventually led to her giving up her best friend for a town, she was no longer the empowered time master. In fact, deep down inside she still hasn't forgiven herself for sacrificing Chloe.

Even though she cannot use her powers, she wants to take back her life and what she ultimately wants. Kneeling, Max leans forward, looking deep into bluenette’s quivering blue eyes. With no hesitation, she kisses Chloe’s lips. She wants her to know that she loved her more than Rachel did. The real Rachel loved Frank and Jefferson and not her.

The brunette wraps her fingers, weaving through the short blue hair. She pulls her mouth away just enough air between them to whisper softly, “I love you, Chloe.” Then, their lips join again, before Chloe can have anything to say.

The punk’s eyes are opened during the kiss. But slowly, her eyes waver in strength eventually coming to a closed and finally understanding the torment and tragedy that this girl had to endure to save her.

The air suddenly becomes thick like a suffocating miasma. The sound flutters to a dying silence.

Max opens her eyes, seeing a flash of long blonde hair that hangs down the pale face she is kissing. Refusing to stop, she continues kissing along the jawbone and then to the right ear of the person, ravaging it with her own lips. Her face and fingers are heated with intensity and sweat.

 _What?! What the fuck is going on? Is this Rachel? I can’t see her face. And, I can’t control my body._ Max continues kissing until a deafening phone vibration cracks the silence.

“Ahh!” Max lets out a quick and shrill cry, quickly muffling it with her left hand, as everything swirls back to the normal and gloomy setting of Nathan’s room. She turns to her best friend who is looking back with strained eyes. Max draws her eyes down, realizing that her right hand is reaching almost down the jeans of the punk, but Chloe is gripping it tightly to prevent that. The freckled girl pulls her right hand away, falling back on her butt. “Oh my god! Chloe! I didn’t mean it.”

“Max! It’s fine.” Chloe fixes her jeans, “You just looked almost possessed.”

The brunette’s face is still pale from the frightening out of body experience. Her right hand trembles, as the realization settles into her head. _Was that a flashback? Why am I seeing this now?_ She wraps her arms tightly, suddenly feeling this timeline can slip from her grasp. _I can’t let Chloe know I was having a vision of me having sex with Rachel..._

“Max…” Chloe leans in, giving some reassurance to her. “Don’t worry about it. But what happened?”

Max not wanting to share what she saw because she is not even sure. It could just be her imagination running wild, like a mini panic attack surfacing to her skin. “My powers went bonkers for a bit.” She gets up, sitting back casually on the computer chair. She pushes out the lie, “I’m okay, now.” She tries to steady her voice, “Give me some time to collect my thoughts. Let’s see what’s on Nathan’s computer.”

Chloe insists, “Max, talk to me. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m good.” Max takes some deep relaxing breaths to settle her mind back into her head, returning to her original objective to distract her thoughts.

The bluenette narrows her eyes, “Alright…” She lets the brunette focus on the computer. Chloe purses her lips, crossing her arms in concern for her best friend. But the punk also needs some time for herself to collect what just happened as well. With her best friend who just kissed her and deeply in love with her. She ponders quietly, letting the brunette time traveler drive the Prescott investigation.

Max grabs onto the mouse, gripping it tightly just to feel her muscles clench to a physical object. _Alright, the timeline is still here. Don’t panic, Max._ She navigates through the opened windows and applications on the computer. _Is it wrong to feel grossed out to see how I am with Rachel in another timeline? I did say I love her, but…_

The thoughts race around in her mind, making her eyes spin. She blinks her eyes rapidly until she regains focus, clicking on the opened web browser and pulling up a website to an online gun store, “Northwest Armory?” She mutters out loud, then switching to the next tab which is a forum thread about firearm laws in the state, “‘The Oregon laws to own a handgun’.” She reads out the title of the thread, then her eyes dart back and forth, skimming the rest of it, “So, you can bypass a background check if you purchase from a private seller? It is a loophole in the legal system since the gun seller doesn’t want to pay for it.” Max leans back into the seat, crossing her arms, “So, Nathan is free to purchase it without an investigation on his mental health history. But then again, who knows how much his father is paying to hide his records.” Her eyes continue reading the rest of the thread, “Ahh… but you still have to be eighteen to buy a gun.”

“Umm…” Chloe slowly snaps out of it, scooting closer to the desk for a better view of the monitor, “How old is Nathan? If that asshole can get drugs like that, he can easily get a firearm with his family’s reputation.”

“I think he is seventeen. His birthday is in August if I remembered correctly from the previous timeline.” Max pinches her chin, “His family is very powerful. But maybe he is trying to get one without relying on them.”

The bluenette rests her elbows on the desk, and leaning her head into it, “Why would Nathan want to buy a gun? Do you think he might ask Rachel to buy it for him?” She snorts out, “Like a ‘straw purchase’? Since Rachel is eighteen.”

Max leans back, looking at the blinds, as something seemingly draws her toward it. _Could something be happening with my powers? Shit, I better not be causing any more tornadoes. I’m not deliberately using it._ She has a sudden urge to look out into the sky but the blinds impede this desire. Not wanting to disturb the room at all instead, her head aims down at her jeans, returning to what Chloe was saying, “I didn’t think about it. It is possible. But why would he need a gun? For Jefferson?”

“I’m not sure. Let’s keep looking.” Chloe lifts her elbows from the table, finding a paper adhering to her heated arms, “Oh, look what we have here.” She plucks the paper from her arms, tilting it toward the monitor so the glow will illuminate the readability of it. “An e-ticket purchase confirmation. And he just bought it an hour ago, too. ‘Three Busy Debra’ for tonight at 9:30.” She looks over at her partner in crime, “Rachel said this is the show time that Megan is watching tonight, even though Nathan explicitly rejected her.”

Max smiles at their progress, “Good find! So, he is going to get her tonight.” She scoots her chair back and turning her attention to the sofa that is right beneath the projection on the wall. “I know he had a disposable phone behind that sofa. The password is his birthday.” She peeks her head behind it, finding the plastic bag is there but the phone isn’t. “Shit, it isn’t here this time.”

Chloe sets the ticket confirmation paper back, “What was on his phone?”

The brunette makes her way to the computer, sitting back on the chair. “At least in the previous timeline, Nathan had all his drug trading via text messages on that phone.” She scoots the chair closer as she gets more comfortable, “I don’t know if Jefferson ever contacted him on that phone. I didn’t see anything on it.” Max resumes back to snooping on the computer, switching the browser tab and finding a ‘Google Maps’ page.

“Wait a second…” Chloe leans in closer taking a deep look at the map. It is zoomed in with the street ‘Alberta’ and ‘22nd Avenue’. Her eyes narrow, “That is where we went today.”

Max’s eyes widen, “Wait… seriously?”

“Yep. That is where we had lunch, today.” The punk’s tone is showing signs of frustration and discomfort, “...So, unless Prescott boy just randomly felt like having biscuits in a city over an hour away...”

A scoff of confusion puffs from the lips of the brunette, “How is this possible? Nathan is tracking Rachel?”

Chloe bites the inside of her bottom lip, “That fucker! I know he was bad news.” She clenches her fists wanting to slam it into the desk but resists it.

Max blinks slowly, wrapping her arms tight against her chest. “Maybe Jefferson is tracking her. Then, he is asking Nathan about it.” Her voice is calm, “I’ve always been blaming it on Nathan. That was my original mistake.”

The bluenette cranes her head slowly with wide eyes, “The teacher is tracking her? How is he doing that? Shit, Rachel just lied to him, saying that she was with her mother. And, if Rachel has a…” She rolls her eyes letting out a bitter sigh, “...relationship with him, he probably knows that her mother doesn’t live in Portland.”

“Shit…” Max’s body hunches over, “Jefferson caught her lying. And, now he is going to suspect something about her.” Suddenly, it feels everything is starting to spiral out of control and away from this time traveler’s grasp. This is the timeline that she wanted but it is starting to fall apart.

Chloe leans back, finding a brown bag on the floor to the side of the desk. A cautious hesitation immobilizes her as it seems to be ominous despite being somewhat in plain sight. Finally, with care, she takes a peek inside of the bag. Her eyes widen as she slowly takes one of them out, “Uh… Max…?”

Still drowning in her thoughts, Max turns her head over, “What is it, Chloe?”

Chloe takes out the small bottle with steady fingers, “You think these are the drugs that Nathan is using on the girls? Should we take this away from him?”

The brunette gazes at the small and very familiar vial with clear liquid in it. All the heat quickly escape out of the pores of her body from seeing that horrid memento of her experience in the Dark Room. 

_“Stop… don’t do this…”_ Her own pleading voice from the past drive right through her own ears when she was begging to be spared from Jefferson. She can remember it perfectly well, with the psychopath sticking the syringe to draw out the clear content. Being a lethal dose, he could have really used anything else to murder Max. But perhaps Jefferson discovered that a victim being overdosed on GHP has a more enticing charm to it that greatly surpasses a victim that is simply incapacitated by the drug. And, he may have missed this epitome of photographic opportunity with Rachel. His true disappointment.

Max clenches her teeth, hunching and turning the chair to face the corner. All her fingers claw against the side of her head as swirling colors and sounds begin suffocating all her senses.

“Max?!” Chloe lets out a soft scream. She quickly stuffs the bottle back into the bag, putting it where it was, then wraps her arms around her troubled best friend.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Prescott Dormitory - Room 224

#### March 21th, 2013 4:15 PM

Her vision warps in rhythm to her raspy breathing, almost like the timeline is about to decompose. Instead, it is her blood saturating with trepidation. The long walk from the workshop class to the dormitory seems endless as the dread propagates and twists through the veins in her body an infinite amount of times over. Feeling her body is submerged in a sheet of miasma that is spewing from the abyss that is anchored in the deep folds of her brain. Her strength is diminished yet her legs continue to carry her weight unyieldingly. 

Rachel couldn’t endure continuing the phone conversation anymore when she heard the medical condition of her mother. _She has cancer? How long has it been? Is she handling it fine without my father by her side?_ Apprehensive thoughts followed by even more foreboding thoughts keep piling endlessly in her mind and corrupting her expectations in just about every way possible. This mother isn’t even her real mother but still, she holds this person dearly in her heart. Even, if she seems more ill-tempered than her own mother.

Rachel, who is leading the way with confusion fueling her legs as well as dulling her senses, distorting anything else that isn’t her objective of getting straight to Chloe and Max as fast as possible. Kate follows behind with hushed breaths with clutched arms squeezing into her chest, bracing for the unknown.

The blonde in a disarrayed state twists the doorknob to her dorm, but it clicks back with unsatisfying stubbornness. She knocks on the door, pressing her hair tightly against the brown wooden door. Nothing but silence behind the door. “Fuck!”. Rachel huffs under her breath, but still loud enough to jolt the tense church girl behind her. “Where are they?!” 

Rachel cranes her head, seeing a few other girls down the hallway giving her a casual wave. Instead of responding with even a courtesy smile, she looks away feeling the rising tension that engulfs her head. Meeting any more new strangers is the last thing she wants in her current mental state. The dorm is more lively but the opposite of what Rachel wants at this very moment, as she wishes for the floor to swallow her to hide from the rest of the world.

 _Fuck, I can’t focus anymore. I’m starting to become my old self… No, this is my old self._ Her anxiety is filling into her body, as her face winces trying to prevent it from topping out of her head. Her eyebrows furrow in discomfort at the church girl but in need of assistance, “Kate, get me out of here.”

The angel presses her lips, empowered with determination to protect her, “Restroom.” She grabs Rachel’s hand, guiding her to the door next to them, “Come here.”

They both dash through the door but halting at the sight of the only girl that is washing up at the sink. It is Megan Weaver. Though she is also a stranger, a sudden breath of life replenishes into the disoriented time traveler. Perhaps, it is the enchanting beauty of the girl or maybe the desire to protect this girl. This is the girl that is going to wind up in the Dark Room with Jefferson if nothing is done. 

Rachel almost forgets how dorky and beautiful this girl is. She still has her outfit from this morning, with her long single pigtail that dangles neatly above the right portion of her large chest. Her trendy large black-rimmed glasses hang over her blue eyes. She has a little bigger body type than Rachel and the girls, but overall somewhat average-sized.

“Oh hey, Rachel… woah, you look…” The blonde’s eyes widen at the disconcerting look of Rachel. “Excuse me… Kate, right?” She recalls the name of the church girl, “Can I have some private time with Rachel?”

Kate looks over at Rachel with a puzzled look as she was about to kick Megan out of the restroom. Instead, Rachel replies silently with a simple nod. The shadows in the head of the blonde time traveler seem to have subsided quickly in this very moment. Even among the chaos, the yearning to help this girl from becoming another victim of Jefferson stands strong in Rachel’s mind. The church girl nods back, “Umm… sure, Megan.” She gives one last look before walking out of the restroom to give peace to the other blonde girls.

Megan grabs Rachel by the hand, gently guiding her into one of the stalls that offer more privacy from the immediate area of the restroom. She keeps holding onto the hand, looking at it for a moment. “Are you okay? Is something bothering you?”

Rachel takes a deep breath, her mind scrambling internally to regain her composure to deflect this prying person. “I’m okay. You just caught me at a bad moment, but I’ll be fine.”

The pigtail girl leans back, looking at the restroom door, “Is Kate helping you?”

Rachel waves her hand, “Oh no, nothing that serious. Trust me. So what’s up?”

“Alright…” Megan furrows her eyebrows, with slight hesitation. She, then grabs both of Rachel’s hands, gently cradling it, “I miss you. And, I don’t want to keep making it awkward between us after that night.” Megan looks deeply into the hazel eyes and her voice remaining soft, “Of course, I’m giving you space because I know you’re a free-spirited type of girl that doesn’t want to be tied down to anything or anyone. So, I know that night between us, was supposed to be nothing. We just had a few drinks and some fun.” A smile emerges from her face, “Don’t worry, I totally understand. It may not have meant much to you, but it did for me. So, I just want to thank you, again.”

Rachel’s eyebrows arch, gazing deeply into the azure eyes. This girl is only known as a victim of Mark Jefferson and nothing else. The previous disordered and straining thoughts of her mother’s illness has taken a short break as she is finally standing in front of this unknown mysterious girl with an unfortunate future. 

_My brain is fried with my mother’s news, but shit… this girl is going to be kidnapped by Mark and Nathan tonight if I don’t do anything. Max mentioned that she was Chloe’s friend in a different timeline when Chloe was in a wheelchair. But Megan never contacted her after a while, so maybe something drastic happened after her encounter with Jefferson in that timeline. Maybe she got bullied like Kate or something that just lingered in her mind that never made her the same, even if the drug supposed to wipe out most of their memories of being abused._

_And this special night that we had?… I have no idea what she is talking about. This Rachel probably had an intimate moment or something with her. But if it meant a lot to her, I want to remain cordial and respectful with her, as well._

Rachel takes a deep breath, trying to instill her warm and affable tone back in her broken mind, “You’re very welcome.” She rubs her chin with pursed lips at the fact she has almost no idea of what Megan is talking about and have to try and decipher it on the fly. She does her best at playing it cool, “It meant a lot to me that night, too. But more importantly, I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Really?” The blue eyes glimmer with delight. “Thank you, so much.” Megan smiles brightly but also biting her lips. The mysterious friend continues, “So, what’s going on with you and this Kate person? She seems a little conservative but I could be jumping into conclusion with her mannerism and the necklace of a cross.” Her eyebrows arch repeatedly in a tease.

“It isn’t quite what you think.” Rachel smiles back, thinking about that sweet girl that is by her side during her troubled moments, “She’s very cool. I just started to hang out with her.”

Megan agrees, “Yeah, she seems cool. I’m actually little jealous.” She points her index finger in the air with a bubbly smile, “But I’m kidding… like you said, I should focus on loving myself, first. Kate does seem to complement you very well.” Her index finger transitions into a thumb up, “I’ll keep your secret.”

 _My secret? What? With my relationship with Kate?_ Rachel blinks slowly, still confused with everything but still warming up to the sweet presence, “Megan…” 

The blonde with the one-sided pigtail squeezes her eyes closed with a smile, “It is only fair since you’re keeping mines. I’m just thankful I can confide in you. You brought life into me, again. And your comforting words about love that I should be with whoever I want, whether it is a boy or girl.”

_Ah… Is she confused with her sexual preferences? I was thinking about that. Mmm… she does have some similarities with Kate. And, they’re both very beautiful girls._

“Anytime, Megan.” Rachel looks down seeing that her hands are still being supported by the gentle hands of Megan. She continues, “And yes, that is very important.”

“And…” Megan releases her grasp and rolls up her left sleeve, showing her forearm that has several faded scars on it that seem to be wounds from a knife. “My wounds are slowly healing up, now. No more of this…” She says proudly of it.

However, the delightful tone doesn’t propagate well into Rachel, as her eyes are too absorbed with the wounds on the forearm, being struck just from the sight of it. _Megan… tried to take her own life? Like Kate and myself? This girl is slowly recovering from hitting one of the darkest parts of her life and she is about to get abducted to go through a traumatizing event if we don’t do anything to save her._ Her breaths fill up with anxiety as it just seems everything in this timeline is hitting her like a tsunami of mind-melting confusion.

Megan quickly rolls up her sleeve, realizing it is too disturbing to show off, “I’m so sorry, Rachel. Didn’t mean to bring your mood down.”

“No…” Rachel takes a deep breath to fill her lungs with some sanity. She lifts her left arm, letting the sleeve to fall and reveal her left wrist with the blue star tattoo. Focusing on it, her mind morphs the bloody gash that laces over her wrist in her real timeline for a quick moment before turning back to normal. _Back home, there is no one left to help me. I wish there was someone... Maxine or even Chloe. But I have no one. Maybe this timeline’s Rachel was planning on to shut Megan out, just like she did with Chloe. Whether or not that is true, I want to help this person._ “Megan, no matter what happens… I’m always here for you. Even if you ever feel all alone, I’ll be here.” Her voice trails to barely above a whisper, “Do you understand?”

Megan’s huge eyes are almost welling up behind her glasses, “Yes, I do…” Her attempts to inflict pain onto herself and possibly end her life hold a very delicate spot in her mind. She brushes her nose with the back of her hand, then continuing to look deep into Rachel’s eyes, “May I kiss you, Rachel? Would Kate be upset?”

The words stun the girl that is pressed against the wall of the cramped bathroom stall. _So far in this timeline, Rachel only showed interest toward Frank and Jefferson. Not Chloe, or at least not directly. I don’t think I suddenly just stopped liking girls… but could Megan be my…? Oh man, how many potential relationships am I in?_ After her brief deep thoughts, she nods with a forced smile. “Kate isn’t my girl. But, of course..."

Megan replies with a silent nod, then she hones in closer, leading with her lips and connecting it with Rachel’s. She slowly closes her eyes with Rachel nervously following right after as their lips dance together for a moment. Then, Megan departs to trace down the neck giving repeated kisses with her soft lips. A twisting sting forks all the way to her lower abdomens from the slurping sensation, forcing Rachel to flutter her eyes to the fluorescent lights that hang above them like glowing angels. Rachel moans through her rugged breath. _Okay, we definitely did something together that night..._

The nerdy pig-tailed girl presses her nose sliding it down along the neck and finally nuzzling around the collarbone of the pinned girl. She tilts her head inward to aim her steamy breaths into Rachel’s tank top and onto the smooth skin of her breasts. Even with no actual direct contact, Rachel’s lips quiver to the throbbing sensation that paints from her chest and all the way down.

“Rachel?…” Megan mutters softly.

“Y-Yeah…” Rachel barely huffs with closed eyes and the tightening of her heaving chest. The only sturdy sensation she can feel is her upper back pressing firmly against the wall behind her.

“It is very faint and not too noticeable…” Megan continues to talk with her head staring deeply at Rachel’s cleavage. “I just noticed something crusty, like sweat or maybe a trail of drool…” She pulls her head out finally giving direct eye contact through her steamy glasses, “Is it from, Kate? I promise it wasn’t me salivating to your hot body.”

Rachel looks down giving a close examination and seeing a faint white smear on her cleavage and also some of it on her leopard print bra, more noticeable on the black portion of it. _Oh, it’s from Chloe when she totally went at it. I had no idea dried saliva can be noticeable… I wonder if Chloe being a smoker has anything to do with it._ She fixes her tank top to cover up her chest. “No looking at my boobies.”

Megan smiles back and arching her eyebrows, “Fine… I’ll repay you for my crime.” She crosses her arms, so hands are on opposite side grasping at the bottom of her shirt. She shims it slowly, pulling up her shirt and stopping at her shoulders, revealing her slightly pudgy pale belly and the light pink lace bra that has embroidery floral design sewed on it. “You told me I should get some fancier looking lingerie to boost my self-esteem up. So… is this a good start?”

Rachel’s lower jaw drop slightly at the sight of the larger breasts encased by the sexy pink cloth material. _And I thought she was a nerd. How is she so bold and kinky? And we are in the fucking bathroom! Even me and Kate didn’t dare to go this far._ “I-it…” She stammers then remaining in an entranced state. _Fuck… What did I get myself into?_

Megan bites her lips, “I said…” Still, delicately holding her shirt up, she crouches down low and presses her large bra right into Rachel’s crotch. “Do you like my bra?” She shims the large chest, grinding into the jeans of the pinned girl.

Rachel’s toes curl, wedging tightly inside her shoes. Her neck heaves slowly upward from the sensation with half-lidded eyes. Soft moans drip from her lips in rhythm to the thrusting from the kneeling girl. Megan lets go of her shirt, but it easily catches on her large chest, still exposing her bra. She digs her fingers tightly against the thighs of the moaning girl, to ensure she doesn’t falter but also she cannot escape. She adjusts her body, so she can wedge a single cup between Rachel’s legs to rub against her.

Rachel’s gasps quicken at this sensation. Blindly, her fingers grasp at the pigtail, gently pulling on it to let Megan know to keep going. With each rub, slowly Rachel tilts her head back until a loud thud. “Ow!” Rachel clenches her teeth, hunching her body slightly and grabbing the back of her head.

“Shit! I’m sorry!” Megan gets up to support the girl in pain. “I got too ballsy and trying to pull this shit in a restroom stall.” She is a little hesitant to offer any assistance to the squirming girl, giving her some space. Her voice is low with a hint of shame, “I learned that from a lesbian porn movie I watched.”

Rachel’s hissing breaths slowly subside, changing to a smile. “Which porn was that? Can you share it?”

Megan smiles, baring her teeth, “Sure. I have to pull it up from my laptop. But I’ll send it to you.”

A blush glows into Rachel’s face. _Damn, this girl reminds me of Kate. But way kinkier._ “Thanks.”

The pigtail girl casts a glance against Rachel’s tank top, letting out a friendly laugh, “About your boobies, I was just letting you know, in case you have some jealous boyfriend or girlfriend that is looking down your shirt.” She smirks, giving a quick jab with her elbow, “But no problem, I’ll let you go back to your buddy. I have to do some homework before watching the play tonight.”

Rachel bites her lips, giving a moment to let the heat slowly subsides all around her. _Shit, that’s right… the play._ Her face shifts to a little more serious tone but trying not to raise any alarm, “Be careful tonight, Megan. Be very safe, alright? There are weirdos at that time like you said. Stick close to crowds but also keep an eye on your drink so no one slips anything in it.”

The geek reaches down to squeeze Rachel’s hand, tugging it for a little bit. “I don’t know if anyone would want drug a fatty girl like me. But you got it, Rachel! I’m keeping my promise of staying busy and trying to break out of my shell. And, it is all thanks to you.” She lifts her index finger in an adorable manner, “But I won’t be stupid.”

Rachel smiles, leaning in for a quick peck on the pigtailed girl’s cheek, “Yes. Just call me, if you need anything. Take care.”

Megan nods, “Bye Rachel!” She does a quick brush over her shirt, to straightening out any wrinkles from their tender moment, before walking out of the restroom.

Rachel casts out another long exhale, letting the heat die down inside her to let the familiar cold replace it. _Damn, she is like Kate. I wonder why Rachel didn’t go for her? Maybe Jefferson? Or, maybe afraid of Chloe?_ She gives one last shake of her head to regain her composure and she walks out the restroom, nervously tucking her hands into her pockets. She looks over at the angel still waiting politely outside for her. Kate making the extra effort always brighten Rachel’s mood. 

The hair bun girl’s eyes light up, “Megan just greeted me. And also, Max and Chloe are back. They’re waiting in the room.” She points her thumb at the door.

 _Thank god, Chloe didn’t come into the restroom. That would be awful if she caught us doing that._ Rachel snorts, directing her attention at the cute girl in front of her, instead of the two Arcadia Bay pirates. Kate’s friendliness digs out Rachel’s cheeky nature, “Megan is a little jealous. She thinks you’re my girlfriend.”

“Oh!” The church girl’s face blooms with embarrassment. Her face freezes, with her eyes darting around the hallway, realizing they are in a public area. “Let’s go in the room.”

“Sure…” Rachel walks in closer with the girl that is standing in front of the door like a guard. “But I want to talk to you. Just you… So I’m going to ask Max and Chloe to leave the room for a minute.” She was desperately looking for them earlier but after her intimate moment with the nerdy girl, she wants to explain her thoughts about Megan without Chloe being there.

Kate nods quietly, then opening the door to the dorm. The rope light is turned on, painting the room with its pink and peach colored hue. The bluenette is sitting on the bed as Max is halted from her pacing around the room.

The freckled girl looks with her wide but serious eyes, as she has regained her composure after the panic attack she suffered at Nathan’s room, “Rachel…”

The blonde time traveler glances at the two girls then politely ask, “Can I have a private moment with Kate? I need to talk to her.”

The brunette blinks slowly, bewildered at the request, “Just Kate?” Her eyes focus on the trustworthy angel then back to Rachel, “I mean there’s no secret among us… And, we have to talk to you about something.”

“No, Max.” Chloe gets up from the bed, standing up tall with her slender body. “Let’s give them the room.” Her expression is stern like she has some other things to say, but remaining silent.

Max looks at her best friend with slight disgust and frustration but then conceding to her, “Alright…” The two girls walk past the two blondes and back into the hallway.

“Thanks,” Kate says softly to them, but it is a little tardy as the girls don’t even hear it. She closes the door, locking it, then turning around seeing Rachel who is already sitting down on the bed with her face being buried in her hands. “Is everything okay, Rachel? What did Megan say to you?”

Rachel fans her hands, putting some reassurance that the conversation went well. “Don’t worry, Kate. Just a friendly talk with Megan. Very friendly. Apparently, this Rachel may know her more intimately.” She winks at the hair bun girl, “We kissed each other.”

The church girl’s eyes light up in enthusiasm, “Ooh, so there’s something going on between you two?”

“Hmm… Yeah, you can say that.” Rachel snorts, “She pulled up her shirt to show me her new sexy pink bra.” She nods with wide eyes, “And, she has big boobs.”

Kate tips her nose up, “Wow! Yeah, she does.” She reaches for a small lock of her own hair, imitating a pigtail, waggling it in a cute manner, “A busty blonde bombshell?”

 _Gosh, she’s so cute._ “Yep…” Rachel presses her hands onto the crotch of her jeans, “And she rubbed them against here…”

“Oh!” Kate’s eyes shoot open in the slight discomfort and her fingers release her temporary pigtail to join back with the rest of her hair. She waddles closer, wetting her lips with soft and warm voice, “Did you like that?”

Rachel purses her lips, “I mean... sure it felt good…”

“Yeah?” Kate nods softly with pressed lips.

Rachel looks back with uneasy eyes, almost wincing that she may have been too honest and possibly upsetting this shy and conservative girl that has a crush on her. Rachel adds to it, “I felt uncomfortable, too. I also bumped my head against the wall.”

“Oh no!” Kate walks right up to the girl, reaching her fingers to the back of the long hair to caress it.

Rachel puffs her cheeks but giving a funny face to steer this away from a kissing moment since the church girl is right up close. Kate picks up the cue and settles back down, tucking her paws into the pockets of her cardigan. She breaks the silence, “Maybe you and Megan are an item?”

The other blonde shrugs, “Nothing official, I don’t think.” She gazes at the closed door, “That’s why I wanted to tell you in private. Chloe can barely stomach that I’m in love with Jefferson and Frank. But she is only accepting it because I’m steering away from them. But Megan…” She takes a deep breath, nodding her head, “She could be someone that can invoke some crushing jealousy.”

Kate wets her lips, “You might be right. I won’t say a single thing.” She raises her hand, keeping the promise. “Is there anything else?”

Rachel sneaks a deep gaze at the church girl who has a cheery front, wondering if she could be masking some other feelings deep down inside. _In their previous timeline, I remembered Kate loved Max, truly caring about her. But now that Chloe is alive, Kate is simply tossed to the side. I wonder if that’s why she is sticking close with me? Because she knows how it is like to be abandoned?_ Rachel blinks her eyes, curbing the slight welling in it. She casually leans her head to brush off the sorrow in her heart, resting on the knuckles of her hand, “I guess Megan has been going through some struggles… about her sexualities and what type of gender she prefers.”

“Oh…” Kate’s face softens up to the more serious tone of the subject, “Well… I can imagine that is a struggle.” She grins nervously.

“Not only that. She also went to a very low point in her life.” Rachel traces a few imaginary lines on her left forearm with her finger, “She slashed her forearm in the past. She thought about taking her own life.”

“Oh no...,” Kate pressing her lips to a pout, tugging on the sleeve of her cardigan, “I can… relate to that, as well… In my old life…” She smiles almost sardonically, “It sounds so weird to say that. Just a few days ago after my video got posted, I didn’t feel like myself anymore.” Her eyes roll around in an unsatisfactory manner, “Most people sympathized with me because I got drugged during that video. But there are always those people that will do anything for a good laugh.” Kate rubs the back of her neck, feeling the cross necklace that hangs from it, “And my mother treated me different, as well. She saw it more of me weakening and succumbing to social pressure.” Her eyes drift back to the hazel eyes of Rachel, staring deeply into it, “When I found out from Max that I did attempt to take my own life in another timeline, well… as disturbing as it sounds… it didn’t feel _too_ off. The passing thoughts of ending my life were there.”

Rachel reaches out to gently tug Kate’s hand, to pull her to sit beside her on the bed. She wraps her arms around the troubled church girl, giving some warm support as her tone remains serious and sympathetic, “It troubles me someone like you is going through this. I hate bullies so much. I hope your family will be more supportive and understanding.”

Kate nods shamefully, “Reasoning has never been my mother’s strongest card.” She reaches out, tracing along Rachel’s arm and finally to her hand to interlock their fingers, “I didn’t tell Max any of this because she was already going through her own personal hell. With her parents and Chloe dead.”

Rachel notes the slightly disheartened eyes of Kate. She reminds her, “But all of this has changed...”

The hair bun girl remains absorbed, unaffected by the words of Rachel. This life altering event that transcends all knowledge of human beings still continues to eat apart at the girl. Kate speaks her mind to the eager listener right by her, “A part of me is absolutely ecstatic about this new timeline. But another part of me, still yearns for that old feeling, if that makes any sense....” She shrugs nonchalantly as her face is everything but joyful. “Maybe being bullied and losing faith in everything I know is still fresh in my mind, but I almost feel like everything will just collapse back somehow.” Her voice is solemn and lack of her usual delight, “Like I’m just waiting for it to all revert back.”

Rachel’s eyes drift to the side, pondering deeply about the words. Continuing to not give eye contact, she asks, “What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know…” Kate mumbles under her breath, “Maybe it is a trust issue with the world. This timeline’s world...” Her body sways uneasily and being drained by her own words, “People don’t just change. And bad things don’t just simply get replaced by good things. It isn’t how the world works.”

Rachel looks down just fixing her eyes on their locked fingers, “I do agree with you, Kate. That’s why we must use what we know and experiences to not repeat the same mistakes.”

“I understand that…” Kate acknowledges but her tone is slightly flustered, “I know we have to take down Jefferson. I get it… But, this world is crafted by you, Rachel. You’re a human being with god-like powers.” She gently releases their grip and leaning her cheek on the palm of her hand, “I don’t mean any offense, but we are all selfish. You want your own things. Max wants her own things. I want my own things. And, Chloe wants her own things.”

 _Well, it is good that Kate is willing to tell me all of this. I want her to be truthful about how she feels about all of this, even if she is afraid of me._ Rachel’s eyes are still gazing at her lonely hand that is left alone, “Kate…”

The faltering angel stiffens her body up and turning it to face the girl with a hunched body, “Rachel, I feel in the end, you’re either going to make this world the way you want it.” She lets the air hangs in a suffocating silence for a moment with her accompanying empty gaze, “Or, you’re going to give in and make the world according to someone else’s selfish needs.”

 _I think I agree with you on that, Kate._ “Yeah, I can see that.” Rachel admits, lifting her head to meet the other girl, “I’m starting to feel there are things that I cannot control anymore. Like my mother’s...” Her voice tapers off to a silence, with her eyebrows creasing to that returning dreadful thought.

Kate leans in closer, as her voice is gaining some warmth with this topic, “Listen Rachel, we will get through that together. You and your family will have our support.” Her eyes lower as some of the sorrow are kicking into her tone, “You understand?”

The blonde time traveler cast a pursed lips away from the aiding words, not really sure on what to hope for. She automatically replies back, “I do…”

“I mean…” The hair bun girl sways her head uneasily, digging up any solutions that can inspire the much-needed hope into this girl that has been helping everyone. “I’ll drop my community service at church to pick up a part-time job to help out with your mom’s medical cost.”

Rachel’s eyes shoot open at the extremely generous thought, “Kate, oh my god. No...” She shakes her head, rejecting the offer but still speechless from the overwhelming support from Kate’s altruistic nature.

The sweet angel continues with bold words, pressing both her hands into her chest, “Maybe Joyce can get me a job at Two Whales? I’m sure what I earn will barely even scratch the cost of it.” She pulls her hands out, pointing a single index finger in the air, “But! Even a little bit to put your family’s mind more at ease, I am more than happy to help out.”

“Don’t Kate-” Rachel’s choking voice interrupts itself, blooming with love from this girl. _She has a dark prediction about our future, but yet she continues to care about everyone genuinely._ Struggling to push the words through her throat, “Gosh, why are you so nice to me?”

“I.. just…” Kate presses her lips tightly, “I don’t know. I just don’t want to see you lose faith in any of us… To even think that we don’t care about you…”

Rachel’s voice softens with an accompanying forced smile. She gets reminded why she loves this very person so much. “Can I get a hug?”

Kate’s eyebrows arch, leaning her body closer, “Sure.”

Rachel holds tightly the small girl, feeling her own vulnerability slipping again. Her need for solace. And again, Kate hasn’t disappointed her at all. She leans back, with their faces only inches apart from each other, feeling their warm breaths onto each other’s skin.

_Never in my life, I thought I would ever feel something like this. Even though I yearn to be with Maxine, a part of me knew it would never happen. Happiness never stayed long enough in my mind for me to enjoy or even get familiar with. It is short-lived and everything just returns back to the way it was. It has always been like this for my entire life. As everyone will continue to move forward, they will never look back for me. I’ll still be alone._

A void forms inside Rachel from her own dark thoughts. The desire to hold onto someone also seeps into her mind. Slowly, Rachel draws in, still maintaining eye contact with this sweet and beautiful angel even though her eyes are slowly welling up. Kate’s face is welcoming and inviting as quickly their lips make contact. First, just simple soft pecking onto their smooth lips. The heat comes back and continuing from where they left off from the restroom by the workshop class. Rachel glides the tip of her tongue along the bottom lip of Kate’s, sending a tingling that twists into her small body and overwhelming all her senses. Each glide of Rachel’s tongue pries a soft gasp from Kate.

The hair bun girl braces her body, her fingers clenching tightly against the blanket of the bed. Her arms are wavering, weakening from the flood of heat that is dulling her head and continuing into her body.

Pulling back for a moment and with heavy breaths, Rachel whispers to her, “Give me your tongue.” She wets her lips, with wide and friendly eyes, sticking out her tongue to give a quick demonstration before bringing her tongue back in, awaiting for the church girl.

Kate gulps her throat, taking a few steady glances at Rachel. And then some more, making sure she is absolutely serious. The seething intensity controls and drives her craving as she parts her lips and follow the order.

Rachel hones in softly, pressing her lips tightly around the obedient girl’s tongue, and sucking hard on it, repeatedly. Kate’s eyes shoot open in response, giving a feeble shove to Rachel but not to illustrate any anger, but rather a quick absolute loss of control of her body.

Rachel is relentless, wanting to leave the church girl breathless by sucking all the air out of her mouth. Kate’s half-lidded eyes roll up from the heat with barely quick gasps to replenish her starving and heated lungs. Shuddering moans escape from Kate’s lips to expel that air as the rope lights that dangle over them spin into a sustaining line of bright colors. The sting fumes down to between her leg, and instinctively, Kate crosses her legs and tightening her thighs to curb the heat that has been already rising.

Rachel slips her right hand underneath Kate’s cardigan, digging her fingers into Kate’s back through her light blue shirt. Rachel continues probing with her fingers, feeling the outline of the back of Kate’s bra that secures tightly around her frame. Rachel glides her fingers back and forth, making contact with the shoulder straps. She tugs with force on the section where the bra hooks are, but not trying to unbuckle it through her shirt, letting Kate aware of her craving but not crossing over the line.

Kate stiffens her spine as a futile attempt to fix the position of her bra, as her breaths are rugged but showing no indication of discomfort. The heat continues to grow in her lower abdomen, to a point she cannot resist. She quickens the contractions of her thighs, giving a satisfying and quick relief that sails in the air above the whiteness of her eyes. But the intense craving gets quickly replaced back almost like an endless cycle.

Rachel catches the subtle but sharp motions in the corner of her eye, seeing what Kate is doing. In the heat of the moment, it doesn’t even faze her that this pure girl is doing such of an act. Rachel presses her hand down firmly onto the church girl’s thigh that is interweaved on top, assisting and encouraging the sweet angel’s self-pleasuring action.

Reality shoots back into Kate’s body as she realizes this action. A soft shriek escapes from her lips, prompting her to uncross her legs, “No! I wasn’t…”

“Kate, it’s okay.” Rachel forces out a smile through her heated breathing, “Keep doing it if it feels good.” She pulls back and quickly takes off her plaid jacket and setting it over Kate’s lap to offer her some privacy, “You can continue… I won’t look.” Rachel hones in closer, keeping steady eye contact and wanting to resume the kiss.

Panting hard with a frightened expression, Kate draws her body away and continues her explanation, “Rachel! I wasn’t doing _that._ ” She shrinks her body, tilting away from the other girl.

Rachel wets her lips and pressing it with a hint of despondent, “Okay…” She takes back her plaid jacket from the lap of the hair bun girl, putting it back on. She begins brushing it, making sure her clothing isn’t too wrinkly from the short make out session.

Kate looks on with pouty lips, realizing her defensive outburst has ruined the moment and upset this beautiful girl. Her shyness and shame got the best out of her, trapping her and forcing out that denial. She buries her face into both of her hands, “I’m so sorry, Rachel. You’re right.” She shakes her hair bun, “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I was just ashamed of it.”

Rachel looks over at the vulnerable girl while she is still fixing the sleeves of her jacket, “Don’t be. It is taught to be kind of a taboo. And, I’m sure your conservative upbringing shames it even more.” She reaches over patting on the girl, “I understand but you don’t ever have to be embarrassed or ashamed in front of me. I mean I told you I masturbated practically everyday.”

“I know it is natural and normal,” Kate’s face is still blooming, a mixture of the heat and the embarrassment. “I’m just unfamiliar with it and to be honest, I never really done it before.”

“Well…” Rachel stretches her voice, “I also felt like shit when I first got caught.”

“Oh no!” Kate’s hands cover her mouth, “Was it bad?”

“I got caught by Maxine since we shared a small studio together. I thought she was deep asleep and I was being quiet. But…” She lets out a nervous laughter with her beautiful smile, “The room was quieter than I was.” She widens her eyes, nodding in shame, “And, I was going at it…”

“Oh…” Kate nods with her curious eyes, “Were you looking at porn?”

Rachel presses her lips, tipping her nose up to recall that moment. “No. I was just fantasizing something in my head. It could be from a video or picture.” She clears her throat into a soft laughter, “Or maybe I was fantasizing it was Maxine touching me down there.”

The hair bun girl squeezes her eyes closed for a moment, blushing from slight discomfort of the topic. She lets out a toothy grin, “So, it is normal to fantasize… while doing that?”

Rachel leans in smiling, gently patting on Kate’s knee and giving a wink, “I think that is the only way to do it.” She points at the drawer with the magazine, “You can look at something that you find attractive or someone you know. Then, just let your imagination run wild.” She stares at Kate with a sly smile, trying to squeeze out a confession from her. “Just imagine that person doing whatever you desire on you.”

Kate gulps her throat, nodding in silent. Her eyes are wide but not wanting to say a single word about it that she might regret later.

Giving the poor girl a break, Rachel continues, “Well, back to my story. Fortunately, Maxine was grouchy and sleepy. She just said ‘Stop shaking your bed’ and passed out. Afterward, I hid under the blanket, holding my breath for the rest of the night in shame.” She bares her teeth with her smile, “If you caught me, would you also give me a hard time?”

“Of course not!” Kate responds with her own toothy grin. “I mean…” She coughs, making her voice low to barely above a whisper, “...you kind of caught me. And, you were nice about it.” She rolls her eyes, with a slight blush. Rachel responds back with a gentle smile, nodding softly. Kate wets her lips, “Did Chloe give you a hard time earlier?” She inquires about Rachel’s moment with Chloe in the bedroom in the morning.

“Mmm…” Rachel draws back with pressed lips, “Not really. When you’re intimate with someone you’re kind of building that trust with each other. I mean it’s…” She rolls her eyes, “...not a secret you guys are sexually arousing each other.” She brushes her hand along Kate’s tense back, “But sometimes, having trust with your body can take some time. So it is important to be honest with each other. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, it does actually.” Kate nods with care, digesting everything she is learning about intimacy. “I…” Her voice squeaks but returning back to a soft voice. “I like how you push me but not too far. And, still respect my boundaries. Like when you were…” She reaches at her back, indicating about the foreplay Rachel did with the back of her bra, but too embarrassed to admit it in words.

Rachel leans closer, “Well, I know you will slap me if I touch your boobs.”

Kate’s body jolts slightly, shriveling up to cover her chest, “I don’t think I would _slap_ you.” She plays off her discomfort with a teasing joke. “I’m just not as bold as Chloe or Megan.”

The comforting blonde shakes her head, “Kate, you don’t have to.”

“I mean…” Kate sputters with her eyes drifting side to side nervously. “I’m just clueless on where to even begin. Period.”

Rachel whispers softly, “Here’s a tip… start at the back like what I was doing.” She sticks a thumb, pointing at her own back, “Stroking the bra through the shirt and playing with it, just to test the water and to let the person know what your general intention is. Then work your way to the front…” Rachel lifts her elbow, rubbing below her armpit, where the side of her bra lies under her outfit, “Keep your hand around that area for a bit. Then, if the signs are still good, then you can gently brush the girl’s breast.” Rachel grazes at her own breast for a moment, before squeezing it, “Then do this very softly.” She concludes her demonstration. Kate looks on with a dumbfounded but rather amused face. Rachel throws a thumb up, “Just a making out tip for that very special girl, Kate.”

Kate arches her eyebrows, throwing his hands behind her back. “Hoho... Special girl?” She inquires with a cheery tone.

The blonde time traveler from another timeline softens her expression, “Like Rachel… Or Max… or Chloe. Anyone you desire.”

With all the names she listed, it sends a needle into the hair bun girl’s heart, “Rachel?” She asks, dreading on what she is going to hear next. “What do you mean?”

Suddenly, a sheet of melancholic haze fills the air between the two girls. It seems like a mistake that Rachel blurted, but she genuinely meant it. Rachel dips in, holding tightly on the small girl with a weak hug, but her face turns cold and preoccupied.

Even with her generous and kind-hearted nature, it could just be digging a hole of disappointment for Kate to trap herself in the gloomy future. Finally, she admits the brooding feeling that she has been having, “Kate, I’m not going to be with you much longer. Rachel will take over this body again... I can see she is in love with many people including Megan, Frank, Jefferson and maybe even Chloe and Max. But I think she will fall in love instantly with you, just like I did.”

Kate clenches her teeth, lowering her chin pressing against Rachel’s shoulder, “No…” Her body is feeling limp, struggling to even grip the girl that is saying her early farewell. But it isn’t completely out of place, as Kate do think something is going to happen that will cause a shift to this false happiness of a timeline.

Rachel loosens her grip, but still holding on for now, “I know you never been in love before, so I’m trying to put this thought into your head so you won’t be as disappointed.” She runs her fingers up to the hair bun, gently tousling some of the loose locks of hair, “I’m just trying to be realistic. So, I’m going to say ‘goodbye’ in case I don’t get a chance later.” She gently pulls away from her body, getting a look at the puffy eyes of this girl who has been on a day-long adventure with her. _Don’t cry, Kate…_ _Please don’t..._

“I don’t want you to leave.” Kate barely squeaks out of her tightening throat, partially giving in to the idea that the end is near for this Rachel. The phone call with Rachel’s mother has gutted this imagined paradise of a timeline with razor shards of bitter reality.

Rachel’s lips quiver at the crushing sight of this sweet girl that is crying for her. “Take care of yourself, Max, Chloe, and Rachel.” Forcing out the words through the heaviness of her chest, “Always remember about your family and even your mother. Don’t take her for granted like I did.” The regrets of neglecting her own widowed mother in pursuit of a new life with Maxine draws to the spotlight in her myriad of grim thoughts. She releases her grip to get up and make her way toward the door, partially to hide the welling of her eyes, “Let’s get Chloe and Max. Thank you for this talk.”

Before she can make it to the center of the room, a sudden force crashes from behind as Kate wraps her arms tightly. Rachel cannot do anything other than stumble into a full stop, looking down at the fingers that are pressing softly against the smooth skin of her lower belly.

Kate pushes her head forward over the left shoulder, then pressing her warm cheek against the side of Rachel’s neck, colliding against the blue jay earring that dangles there. She doesn’t have anything to say, only her soft breathing murmurs into the still room.

Rachel slides her hands, joining it over Kate’s. She then, gently guides it upward underneath her white tank top, pressing against the soft curve of her belly, stopping at the bottom of her rib cages. Resisting from continuing as her stare remains blank at the door ahead of her. With a tone that is pale and void of life, “The true colors will come out in everyone, including myself. We are just young adults in the very end.” She presses her hands firmly down against Kate’s, brushing against it, “We all want to make this world better but mainly for ourselves.” Finally, she brings Kate’s hands down from her body, leaving it dangling coldly. Rachel continues, “There is no manual on how we should react and deal with these time travel powers but certain things will never change as human beings... Like you said.” 

Rachel takes a step forward, combing her tank top down and holding onto the bottom hem. _I’m sorry to leave you hanging, Kate. But I need to find out about my mother for myself._ She resumes her stride, making her way to the door and opening it. Behind the door, is the blue punk standing very close to the door with crossed arms.

The bluenette rolls her shoulders, tightening her arms around her own slender body, “Took you guys fucking long enough. What is going on between you two?” She inquires with her glaring azure eyes but gently softening her expression with the sight of the melancholic eyes with the two girls.

“Nothing…” Rachel takes a step back, offering space for the punk to come in. However, Chloe remains still for a moment just gazing deeply into the hazel eyes, like she is trying to dig up any secrets that remain buried in those gorgeous but puffy eyes.

Max walks in sight with a puzzled expression, as it looks like she stepped away for a moment. She hurries and guides Chloe into the room, “Close the door.” Rachel listens and closes the door behind them, as the two pirates make their way to the center of the room. Max takes a quick note of Kate’s evasive body language but she continues with the boiling news that she has to reveal, “Rachel, somehow Nathan is tracking you down.” Her nose wrinkles at her own words, then adding a slight disclaimer, “Or maybe, it is Jefferson.”

“What?” Rachel draws backward, looking at her own body as if there’s some mysterious tracking device planted on her. Then, she looks back at the brunette with concerned eyes, “What do you mean?”

“We broke and snooped in his room using a master key we got from David.” Max makes eye contact with her partner in crime then returning back to Rachel, “And, we saw a Google map of Portland zoomed in on the exact place we ate lunch at. We also found Nathan’s drugs that both him and Mark are going to use on the girls, like Megan. But, we decided against taking it since it will raise an alarm to that already unstable kid.” Her voice is stern, “Did he say anything to you?”

 _Good, Nathan would totally freak out if he saw the drugs were missing._ Rachel ponders for a little bit, wetting her lips and shaking her head, “No, he didn’t.”

The brunette replies quickly, “Then, what did you guys talk about?”

Chloe sticks her hand right in front of the wary hipster, “Max, take it easy…”

Max side steps away from Chloe’s hand to keep eye contact, “I’m sorry, it's just everything is coming back to me. I don’t know how premeditated your kidnapping was, Rachel.” Her eyebrows lower, “And you changed many things so far.” Her tone has a hint of accusatory, throwing some blame onto Rachel.

Chloe’s tone is calmer than the brunette’s, “Rachel, maybe you’re transmitting your location to him? Like some app on your phone?”

“I don’t know. Let me see...” Rachel pulls out her phone, scrolling through the list of apps on it. Swiping a few pages, her eyes open up, “Shit... I do have a Family Map Share app.” She launches the application to find that she has been sharing her location with the daughter of Jefferson. The little girl’s marker is placed squarely in Bay City, and Rachel’s marker is placed appropriately in Blackwell Academy of Arcadia Bay. “Audrey…” She mutters to herself, almost regretting she’s calling out on the poor child.

Chloe casts a quick glance at Max who is frightened by this discovery. The bluenette narrows her eyes, “That little brat… Audrey is probably telling Mark where you are. Fuck! And you told him you were at your mother’s?” She bites her lower lip, resisting from snarling at the clueless blonde. Her eyes drift down to her own bag that has been sitting down on the floor of Rachel’s room this entire time.

Max shakes her head, bringing the palms up to her cheeks, “This is not good. Any suspicion in Jefferson is very bad news. We can’t predict anything about him.” Her voice is becoming more distraught as the blind honeymoon phase in this timeline is dwindling down.

The blue haired punk leans back reaching for her best friend’s shoulder, “Alright chill, Max. He doesn’t know that we know his secret. Besides, he can’t take down all of us.”

From her PTSD episode of seeing the vial of the drug, along with this rising skepticism from Jefferson feels like her skin is being torn apart to pour out her terrifying experience of the Dark Room back into this timeline. Along with that weird time shift of seeing herself kissing Rachel is ramping up a flooding amount of wariness about her own powers and this timeline. “Chloe, we cannot underestimate Jefferson.”

While the two pirates are bickering with each other, Rachel has disabled the GPS sharing with the little girl. “I wasn’t aware of this at all.” She confesses her ignorance, “I disabled my location sharing with Audrey and turned off the GPS and Wi-Fi on my phone. That should be good enough.” She tucks the phone securely back into her pocket.

Max turns back to the long blonde girl, without much acknowledging of what she said and continuing back to the subject of the psychopath, “Rach, you know how much of a creep Jefferson is. Kate, you do, too.” She takes a step closer, finding it difficult to keep eye contact now, “Maybe we should just rewind all of this…” Her voice tapers off to a silence, feeling a mixture of guilt for suggesting it, knowing it will harm Rachel to use her powers. “Never mind…”

Rachel turns to Kate, who has been quiet this entire conversion. Her shoulders droop at the sight of this angel who has been helping this entire time. _Kate, I’m sorry to even lead you on like this. I just don’t want to give you much hope when there isn’t going to be any hope._ She sways her head back to the brunette with pressed lips. Her voice is soft, “Max, I just found out my mother has cancer.”

Max’s eyebrows crease, as she looks back with pressed lips and complete stillness.

Chloe covers her lips with her hand, “Oh my god… seriously? You never… erm…” She hesitates for a moment, “...yeah you never told me.”

Rachel’s eyes remain focused at her best friend, “I want to see her right now.”

Max looks back with widening eyes and partially quivering face, but then she nods, agreeing with Rachel.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Sandpiper Apartments - Room 2311

#### March 21th, 2013 4:57 PM

The four girls walk up the stone steps of the rustic gray apartment that looks more like a motel from the outside if it isn’t for the large number of units. The hallway into the interior portion of the complex creates a draft of wind that pours into the garden quad. Canned waves of laughter from residents while they are watching their television shows. Shrill and muffled screams from children also eat away any lingering tranquil in this mediocre living complex.

Max approaches the brown plaque that says ‘2311’ on the side of a pine-tree green door, as this is the address that Rachel’s father gave to her in the previous timeline, “Here it is…”

Rachel stands in front of the ominous door, fixing her sleeves with narrowing eyes. _I haven’t seen Mom for over two years. I’ve totally lost track! I don’t know what to expect anymore._ She feels a warm touch on her body as her eyes follow quickly to it.

It is Kate’s fingers, who is gently resting on Rachel’s wrist. Their eyes slowly hone onto each other, as that familiar radiant smile appears. Even after the foreboding talk with Rachel of brushing Kate away, the angel is still persistent and determined with her courteous nature.

“You’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be alright.” Kate’s voice is soft, accompanying with her bold and inviting hazel eyes. She runs her hand up to Rachel’s shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze. “We got your back.”

Chloe nods in agreement, who has been silent this entire time. She sneaks a quick glance at this angel who has come out of nowhere to make a splash into Rachel’s life.

Rachel barely able to muster out a smile of her own, “Thanks, Kate.” She approaches the door, letting Kate’s hand fall off of her shoulder. One last inhale to expand her ribs into her numbing skin and finally knocking on the door with a reasonable amount of force to make sure her knocks are audible enough. She straightens her posture, making her as presentable as possible to her mother.

Her heart beats heavily, almost feeling like it can be heard in the stiffening silence before the door finally opens slightly. With the darkness of the doorway, it obscures the major features of her face, “Rachel?” The indirect sunlight reflects on the whiteness of her cautious eyes. The mother’s voice is oddly soothing despite her perplexed tone.

“Mom…” Rachel forces it out with a smile. “Mom, I’m sorry about everything.” It seems like a broken record for her apologies to almost everyone for _this_ timeline’s Rachel. But strangely it feels natural since she also left her mother in her own timeline. 

Rachel’s mother, Elizabeth blinks sluggishly, as her eyes peer among the girls, “You brought some friends over. Rachel, what did I tell you?” Her eyes focus on the girl with the hair bun, “Hey, you go to ‘New Dawn’, don’t you? I’ve seen you around.” 

“Oh yes.” Kate acknowledges in a graceful manner that she goes to the same church as Rachel’s mother. “My name is Kate Marsh, I usually go on Friday nights and Sunday mornings.”

“Ah yes, I remember.” Elizabeth opens the door wider, letting more diluted sunlight onto her skin, “I used to go on Friday nights. But not as much lately.” Her voice fills with some concerns of her indolent attitude toward her faith.

Kate nods solemnly with sympathy, “Yeah, attendance tends to fluctuate in general.”

“Yeah, I should go more often.” Rachel’s mother finally opens the door, revealing her beautiful face. Rachel has taken much of her traits including the height but instead, Elizabeth has ocean-blue eyes. She even has a similar casual outfit with a light blue plaid jacket over a white shirt and jeans. Her blonde hair isn’t as long as Rachel’s but is healthy and straight. It seems the chemotherapy treatments isn’t causing hair loss so far. Elizabeth arches her eyebrows at the crowd in front of her, “This is quite the group and this is a small apartment. So you got Kate, Chloe and...” She looks over at the hipster.

“Max.” She grasps at her hoodie rather nervously, “Max Caulfield.”

The mother’s eyes are long and distant, “Max, huh?” She blinks her eyes, “Nice to meet you.”

“They’re cool, Mom.” Rachel lets out another forced smile to ease up her mother’s tension, “Let’s catch up?”

“Sure, come on in.” Elizabeth shrugs her shoulders, swinging the door all the way. Rachel walks up to her and wraps her arms around for a hug, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder and letting in her scent. Elizabeth kisses her daughter’s temple and whispering into her ear, “It is nice to see you. It has been a while.”

“I know…” She mumbles through her mouth on how painfully true that statement is. _I’ve been busy to find where I even belong in this world or even worlds. I’m trying to deny the idea that I was born to only be miserable with these powers. I can only give hope to others but not myself. And while I was worrying if I am even worthy to be with Maxine, I’ve forgotten one of the most important person in my life. It is a fucking shame it takes something drastic like finding an alternate counterpart of my mother to remind my love for her._ She clenches her teeth, cursing silently at her mistake.

Elizabeth takes a few steady steps back, but still holding on and guiding her adorable daughter who is resting. She tilts her head, signaling the other three girls to walk into the apartment, “What would you like, some tea or water?” Her face looks back down at her daughter, grazing her cheek against the long blonde hair, “Rachel, can you make some tea for them?” Her mother decides for the girls.

Rachel pulls her head from the warm comfort of her mother, slipping back to the cold and confusing haze, “Uh…” 

Kate gently taps on Rachel, but beaming to the mother with her signature glowing smile, “Please, let me help out. I love tea! Just point me where everything is, Missus...” She trails her voice, uncertain of what her surname is, with the current situation with Rachel’s father.

“You’re so polite, Kate. And, I just love your hair. Call me, Elizabeth.” Her eyes examine the signature hair bun, then turning to continue into the apartment as Max and Chloe seem adrift with this small one bedroom apartment which is illuminated by a pale film of light through the gray stock curtains. There is a simple cerulean two-cushioned sofa in front of a medium-sized LCD television that is resting on the cream colored carpet with no stand. The interior aesthetic seems more of someone that just moved into the apartment as there are a number of storage boxes still littering on the floor with various junk in it.

The mother doesn’t seem at all ashamed by the appearance as she directs her attention to the kitchen, “The kettle is in the bottom drawer and the tea bags are in the cabinet over there.” The church girl follows her instruction with diligence. The mother’s curiosity piques with this special girl, “You’re so helpful. How do you know, Rachel? I doubt it is from church since Rachel never goes.”

Kate turns around briefly, “I met Rachel at school during my orientation. I’m going to Blackwell Academy this fall.” She delivers the partial lie in a convincing manner as she crouches down, pressing her knees tight together with her skirt leggings before digging into the white drawers.

“Oh, this fall?” Elizabeth arches her eyebrows and crossing her arms, “So you’re not a senior?” She looks over at her daughter and then at the bluenette, “Like Rachel and... I guess Chloe, if she was to be in school.”

Chloe darts her eyes nervously for a moment then stepping forward, “I’m looking to find a job. Not sure what but I have been doing some thinking.” She defends herself, at the lack of doing anything productive with her life.

The mother cranes her entire body, “Oh really?”

Before Elizabeth can continue with her prying questions, Rachel jumps in to interrupt, “Mom, can I talk to you in private?” She eyes the closed door that leads to the bedroom. “In there?”

Her mother nods, “Sure…” She steps in close to whisper into her ear, “You’re just going to leave your guests out here?” Elizabeth looks at Chloe and Max who are standing awkwardly with doe-eyes, while Kate is carefully placing the tea bags in the five mugs. She whispers even more quietly, “Do you trust them? Even Chloe?” The bluenette’s rebellious appearance has been an invitation for the mother’s disdainful eyes.

Rachel takes a quick glance at her friends, “Yeah, they’ll be fine out here. I trust them all.” Her eyes turning back to the bedroom with growing urgency for privacy.

Elizabeth gives one last glare toward both Chloe and Max before walking into the bedroom. “Okay, let’s talk in my room.” Rachel follows quickly behind her, closing the door so the other girls cannot hear their conversation.

The bedroom is just as plain and dull as the living room, but with a full-sized bed tucked in the corner of the room with a bland light tan-colored bed sheet and two matching pillows. The gray blinds that allow the late afternoon saffron rays of light is the only sign of warmth in this unadorned room. Doesn’t seem Rachel’s mother had too much time or perhaps any ambitions to unpack anything in her room, as there are also some boxes lying around.

The plain tan-colored boxes catch the eyes of the daughter, almost like secrets hidden in pockets of this timeline. The faltering relationships within the Amber family could have been one of the many things that _this_ Rachel wanted to escape from. With time travel powers, you can try and use it to save all the people you want but cannot mend every problem that can occur. Perhaps, sometimes one has to let fate guide them, no matter how bitter the path is. This is probably why this timeline’s Rachel had to be free-spirited to continue on with her life and not live in the shadows of her past, even as a time traveler.

Elizabeth takes a glance, making sure the door is fully closed before rebuking to her daughter, “I think you are far too trusting of these freeloading teenagers. Not even just teenagers, you’re just so carefree with everyone.”

Rachel presses her lips, nodding silently and rubbing her forehead. Knowing that _this_ Rachel’s open trust eventually led to her own demise. Or perhaps, maybe it is because that she wanted to help everyone. “Mom, you can trust them.”

Her mother’s eyes are relentless, continuing with its stern onslaught, “You may be smart, school-wise. But you’re dumb if you think you can trust anyone blindly.” She scoffs with her brows furrowing in disgust, “You’re always so dumb. You could get yourself killed one of these days. The only thing I’m proud of you lately is how you completely shut out your lying scumbag of a father. That’s it!”

 _Dad…_ Rachel lets off a soft sigh through the lump in her throat. _Either killed or wanting to end my own life? Both are checked, Mom…_ She blinks her eyes slowly thinking how Elizabeth is left alone in both timelines. And, how much of a mess both of these Rachels have become to their own mother. A sudden gush of emotion wells up into her body, turning her voice to a squeak, “I know, Mom. Starting now… I will be better.”

“Rachel?” Her mother’s expression softens up sharply at the weakened state of her own daughter. “Honey…”

The sobbing teenager rushes toward her mother, giving an even tighter of a hug. Even though they just hugged a few minutes ago, it already seems too long with this person she has neglected. She buries her face again onto her mother’s shoulder and pressing warmly into her cheek. Her chest shudders with her choking breaths as she forces out through her stiff throat, “How’s the treatme…” Her voice fades, unable to finish the difficult words.

“Rachel…” Her mother repeats again, then giving a comforting pat, “The treatments are going well, other than food tastes like crap. Of course, there is going to be much more treatments, but it is a good start for now.” She takes a deep exhale, as she is also exhaustive herself, “I’m just fortunate it was caught sooner. It is the best thing your fucking stupid father ever did. To suggest and do that test.” Her breaths are becoming more scalding, “I’m forced to hold onto that dirtbag for now, just because him and his insurance are paying for all of these treatments. I can’t wait to file those papers once this is all over. It is one thing I am looking forward to.”

 _Papers? Divorce papers?_ Rachel sobs softly, “Mom?”

“Sorry…” Elizabeth also nuzzles her cheek into her daughter, with her tone changing. “I know you also can’t wait for that day to happen, but your father did visit me on the weekend after I went in for the treatment.” Her voice is strained, “Probably good idea for him to come after it otherwise, I would have the energy to bash his skull in.” Her fingers tighten around Rachel’s body, squeezing more for comfort, “But your father looked very awful. And, he said some weird things.”

Rachel pulls back slightly, looking deep into her mother’s eyes, “What did he say?”

The mother looks at her daughter’s concerning eyes, nodding silently in content with it, “He said ‘he failed as a father and betrayed both you and me’.” Her eyes roll with a scoff, “Of course, I was bitching at him for being too damn obvious. But then…” The tone trails to dreadful tone, “He said that his last and only purpose to you is his money. And, that he ensured that you will get every penny of it when he dies.” Her throat thickens as well, as her eyes evade from her own daughter. 

_Dad is very… sad for what he did._

Elizabeth seeks temporary refuge by staring at the pale and dreary ceiling. “Don’t be a model, Rachel. Be a lawyer, doctor or something else that you can be successful without depending on someone else.”

Rachel’s voice is low and quiet, “You hate him a lot, huh?”

Her mother clenches her teeth, “Yes, I do. Almost as much as you.” She directs the accusation back to her daughter, but her expression weakens slightly, “But you seem to calm down a lot. You’re not as snappy about it. Are you… more okay with him?”

 _Dad… I always saw him as my hero, but I was always young and naive. So I guess he didn’t become the magical person that I strangely idolize._ “Maybe I will talk to Dad.” Rachel nods softly, acknowledging that proposal she just made about meeting up with her father with her planned trip to California with Nathan.

Elizabeth’s eyes light up, “Well, that’s a good start.”

The pain of the unknown continues to grow as Rachel shifts her thoughts back to her own mother. “Mom, I’ve been stressed out with many things. But can you remind me about your cancer… Like survival chance?” She barely utters that out of her breath.

Her mother brushes her daughter’s tense body, “The prognosis jargon they spewed out since it was detected very early and haven’t spread to any lymph nodes is over eighty-five percent for a five-year survival.” She shrugs her shoulders, “One thing at a time. But I’m so glad that the genetic test came out negative for you. So, I didn’t pass this gene down to you.”

_Pass it down? Shit, what does that even mean…_

“Mom…” Rachel asks uneasily at the lack of knowledge on this subject. “Sorry, can you remind me again about this… ‘gene’? I had trouble understanding it when I was trying to wrap my head around it.” She throws in a sympathy card for effect, “I kept tearing up every time I thought about it.”

“Aww, Rachel.” Her mother comforts her daughter, “To be honest, I got lucky. The mutated gene passed down from my father’s side but I detected the stomach cancer so early.”

Rachel’s breath freezes for a moment, drawing a void in her throat. Her anxious breaths form around this void, “So, you were born with this? Like you are destined to get this stomach cancer?”

The mother’s eyes shoot open with stammering breath, “I-I… Destined?” Her eyes narrow trying to contain her laughter on the terminology her daughter is using, “Maybe a little dramatic but I guess you could see it that way. But I really don’t know how it quite works.” 

The heat trails up to Rachel’s face with fuming anxiety. _2016... 2016... 2016… This timeline is 2013. In my timeline, it is the year 2016._ “Mom, if you didn’t catch this sooner but waited for three more years before finding out. What is the chance of you surviving?”

Elizabeth exhales sharply, “Three years from now? Well, it spreads very fast.” She shrugs her neck with pressed lips, almost a sly smile, “Well, you wouldn’t have a mother anymore.” She jests with this hypothetical. “It is probably Stage III or IV at that point. I think depending on how it develops, the statistic is probably close to five percent for survival.”

All the heat quickly shoots out of Rachel’s head, escaping along with the color of her skin. _Five percent to survive? My mom only has a five percent chance to live?_ Her face shudders as it drapes down to look at the ground, taking a step away from her mother. Already jumping onto the conclusion with the fate of her mother in her own timeline.

_My mom is going to die. My mom is going to die._

Concerning words from her mother are muffled as Rachel feels she has been submerged in an unforgiven abyss. Never once she ever feels so alone and helpless in this world, feeling that she doesn’t belong anywhere. “I have no home…” She mutters quietly.

Elizabeth’s eyes furrow slightly, “Rach? What are you talking about?”

“I have to go,” Rachel takes another step back, then turning around to the door, “Mom, I have to go, now.” 

“You’re leaving?” Her mother calls to her from behind with melancholic tone.

Suddenly, everything around her seems so eerily quiet, as her vision seems to be dampened with a sheet of shadow for a flickering second.

Rachel halts in place, her intense eyes focusing on the piece of luggage that is in her hand. She leans her head sideway, brushing the blue-jay earring onto her right shoulder, turning around to see her mother who is in her pajamas in the cool autumn night. She nods softly and tilting her bag is stand back firmly on the floor. Her fingers continue to grip onto the handle, rocking it back and forth. She is still exhausted from all the packing for this very moment that she has been waiting for. When both her and her best friend, Maxine is finally going to be free from all the bullshit and leave their family’s home to start their own adventures. “Mom… I’m sorry.” She pats her pocket, feeling the apartment key that she just picked up earlier today. “I just… need a change in my life. A big one.”

Elizabeth brushes her long hair with her trembling frail fingers, that is blonde but with a considerable amount of streaks of white hair to illustrate the enduring stress that she has been suffering, working for the Prescotts. “I understand.” With aching voice, “Maybe things would have been better if we stayed in Long Beach.”

“Yeah...” Rachel glares at her own mother with cold and bitter tone, “Dad would be alive… And, the school aren’t full of bullshitters in California.” She tosses in her hatred for the schools in Arcadia Bay.

“I know…” The weathered mother holds her hands tightly against her chest, “I feel responsible because it was my decision, too. I thought this town would be a perfect opportunity for all of us. I was mistaken. I miss him, too.” She presses her lips tightly, sniffing her nose to hold back the gushing, “But you would never have met Maxine.”

“Yeah, she is the most amazing person.” The teenager rolls her eyes, “But her damn parents…”

Elizabeth nods with sympathy, “I can imagine how much of an uproar this is going to create with Maxine leaving her home...” Dreading the reactions from both Vanessa and Ryan who absolutely despises their daughter’s relationship with Rachel. Elizabeth continues, “But you two are both adults now.”

“I know. So, you agree with us?” Rachel stiffen her posture and clarifies, “Okay with me leaving home?”

There isn’t much life left in Rachel’s mother yet she continues to express warm compassion, “I knew this day will come. I overheard some of your conversations.” She leans back on the arm of the living room couch, grasping at her abdomen, “You were planning this when Maxine turns eighteen. And, it is kind of inevitable…” She winces at saying the names of the two people that Rachel hates the most, “...with Ryan and Vanessa…”

With a sharp gust of seething breath, Rachel snarls, “They’re fucking assholes!” She wraps her fingers tightly around her luggage, digging her nails into her own skin till it turns a decaying white, “I really hope my dream is true and that they will get into that car accident.” 

These haunting premonitions plague her as she was growing up with these unknown powers, twisting her ill mind. Visions including a tornado, the car accident, and even Maxine jumping off the roof of Blackwell Academy has raised urgency as she tries to warn everyone. Instead, she is branded as psychotic and demented if not ignored by everyone around her. Except for her mother Elizabeth and possibly Maxine, who try their best to accommodate the words of a sick person.

Elizabeth is still quiet, even after the threatening and bitter words towards Maxine’s parents. Rachel’s eyes sail down to the hand of her mother, who is gripping tightly at her own stomach. The daughter asks, “Mom, are you in pain?”

Elizabeth releases her grip, trying to deflect away the concern on her discomfort and not wanting to spoil this big night for her daughter, “Nah, I think maybe work has been stressing me out.” Her body still hunched over to somehow soothe the excruciating pain she is having, “Just some abdominal pain. I’ll be fine, tomorrow. Go on with your adventure.”

The blonde time traveler blinks her eyes slowly, then she mutters with a soft voice, “Mom, you have cancer…”

The words do not disconcert her mother at all. Unable to even hear these words, the ill mother slowly lifts her eyes to her daughter, “If you need money or anything, I’m always here for you.”

With eyes that are void of life, Rachel continues with her dry and dreary voice, “Mom, you don’t have much longer to live.”

Her mother continues, not knowing that this is going to be her last couple of years in this world, “When I ever retire, I’m going to give you my savings.” She presses her lips tightly, forming a soft smile, “You and Maxine are going to be fine living out there.”

Rachel wets her lips, as her mother’s generosity instilling some joy back into her, “Thanks, Mom.” She fixes her grip on the luggage.

“I just…” Her mother hesitates, pushing herself back up from the arm of the couch, “...concerned about some of the things Maxine has said about you.” She holds out her weak arms, signaling for a desperate hug, “It is conceited of her and not very nice. Sometimes, it just seems like she is just taking advantage of your kindness.”

Rachel’s body pulls away, rejecting the embrace. “Mom, please…”

Elizabeth realizes she has overstepped the line with her rude remark about her daughter’s best friend, “Just don’t let anyone put themselves over you. You’re a very good person, honey. And you are very important to everyone in this world.”

Rachel’s voice is cold, “Mom… I said stop it. Maxine is everything to me. I learn a lot from her and I also look up to her.” She turns around, twisting the knob of the front door to open it.

“Okay…” The mother’s voice is weak and fatigued. She forces out one last words before her daughter departs on her new life, “Promise to not forget about your mother.”

Rachel clenches tightly against the holder of her luggage dragging it closer to the door. She stops there for a moment, with lowered eyes. Her ears twitch to the slow rhythmic beeping of a machine that paralyzes her. In addition, the sound of a mechanized air device hisses loudly into the lifeless room at a slower rhythm. The terror is slowly climbing up her neck, gripping tightly against her throat.

She looks over her shoulder into the almost completely dark room, like staring into the chasm in her mind. The trickles of moonlight from the window reveals the faint pale wall of the hospital room. Her mother is lying in bed wearing a hospital gown, that is partially modified to expose a part of her chest with a large white towel to cover the rest of it. There is a tube that is punctured on the side of her chest to help regulate some of the pressure that constricts her breathing. Her raspy and hoarse breathing is done through her opened mouth, filled with agony and pain. Her furrowed eyebrows quiver, while her tears are collected underneath her tightly closed eyes. Even with the darkness of the room, you can still see the pale discoloration of her skin and the shapes of her bones protruding out of her squeezing skin. Her index finger is attached to the heart rate sensor clamp, as her hand twitches softly as if she still wants to grasp onto someone that is no longer there with her. Or perhaps, that she will no longer be there for that person.

Rachel drapes down her shoulders, looking all around her mother and the room. Her vision flickers, feeling her mind painting some shadows and faceless figures that loom all around her. Waiting. It does not disturb Rachel one bit as she mutters under her breath to finally answer her mother’s request, “I promise I won’t forget about you, Mom.” She turns back around to walk through the orange light and back into the living room with Kate, Chloe, and Max who has been waiting patiently with a mug of hot tea in their hands.

Chloe finally breaks the silence, “How was everything?”

Rachel’s eyes lazily scan around the room still trying to get her orientation with everything. The silence continues as she has no desire to answer anything. Her body seems depleted of energy that she cannot even think or speak in this very moment.

Max steps in closer, softening her voice. “You used your powers, didn’t you?” The bluenette and the hair bun girl cast a curious glance at the hipster. Max continues, “I felt it...” Her eyes narrow down, drifting down to her right hand who is trembling weakly to grip the thin air.

Chloe walks up, grabbing Rachel’s hand, “Dude, are you okay? How’s your mom?” She looks at the closed door to Elizabeth’s room.

Rachel just stares on, not quite readied to gather what she has to say about the condition of _her mother_ or what she just experienced.

The silence continues to twist Max’s anxiety of her discovery that is slowly consuming her. Feeling trapped and suffocating from the closing walls, she pleas, “Rachel, even if you stopped Nathan or Jefferson from tracking you, I still-.”

Rachel interrupts Max, “I want to go back…” The brunette and everyone else in the room freezes to her words. The blonde traveler blinks slowly, as her mother’s words of anticipating a fallout between Rachel and Maxine roars into her mind. _“Sometimes, it just seems like she is just taking advantage of your kindness.”_

Rachel tucks her hands into her pocket, stiffening her posture, “I want to go back to my timeline.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note:  
> If you guys missed the animation that LIS community member Harpuia did for this story, here it is and give him some support with his other videos!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NXwlX_sSHI
> 
> Okay first things first, this chapter is very damn long. There are many things I wanted to fit into this chapter given the events that is happening with it, which is why it is so “packed”.
> 
> In regards to Rachel and Megan having some sort of “relationship”, it is to keep Rachel’s preference consistent in my story. In the game, it shows Rachel having a relationship with Frank and hinted toward Jefferson, but didn’t reciprocate any feelings toward Chloe. This led to some people thinking Rachel may possibly be a heterosexual (which is possible). I wanted to keep it consistent with my story of that even in Max’s timeline she was still interested in girls, too. So I chose Megan for that. :)
> 
> Rachel confides a lot into Kate, because Rachel is still insecure with everyone else. Even though Rachel sees Max, sort of a “Maxine” without messing everything up with her, she knows her true wants is always to be with Chloe and have her parents rescued. Kate also may seems somewhat abandoned as she was going to be there with Max and bonded with her, too. In a nutshell, multiple timelines and time travels twist everyone’s wants and expectations. :D
> 
> Using what they know, Rachel does want to help Nathan, Audrey, Megan and so on. But this is kind of a double edged sword as it switches back into the realm of the unknown which is why Max is tense. She is the only one that really dealt with Jefferson. She knows everything has consequences. 
> 
> The topic about Elizabeth’s illness is very tough for me to write. As I did have a family member that suffered and died from cancer. Even though someone close to me had it, I still didn’t know “much details” about it. Because many things aren’t communicated among my family in regards to it. And, for me personally, I don’t know what to say or ask. I also didn’t visit this person much while they were ill, which is a huge regret for me. I’m not going to go into too much about the personal details. But I did apply some of my experience with it, which not going to lie, made me teary as I was writing it.
> 
> In terms of the final visions that Rachel sees, I know it is confusing. Should I have changed verb tenses? Or throw the location/time header? I decided to just keep it rather seamlessly, just like how Rachel is experiencing it. I don’t like confusing the readers too much but Rachel is also confused too. Keeping it seamlessly, the impact feels a little harder too. I know Rachel didn’t have much reaction in the “post-visions” scene, just because I didn’t want to keep racking up the word count into this chapter… I’ll save it for next chapter!
> 
> There were many themes and elements in this chapter, including some thoughts about Rachel’s timeline. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! :)


	29. Nerve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy themes, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Sandpiper Apartments - Room 2311

#### March 21th, 2013 4:57 PM

A billow of invisible haze smothers the living room of the small apartment with the three girls looking each other with varying levels of perplexity. Rachel announced that she is going to head back to her own timeline, leaving all the unfinished business behind her. Crossing her arms, the blonde time traveler lowers her head, avoiding eye contact into the comfort of the soft vanilla carpet beneath her.

“You want to…” Max pinches her eyebrows together, snapping out of the smog confusion,“...go back to your timeline?” She sends her incredulous stare toward the taller punk right beside her that Rachel used her powers to save. One of the many reasons of why this timeline was even created. A sting sends a fluttering ripple through her small body, feeling the cold tense reminder that Jefferson and Nathan are still out of jail and are readied to act tonight. “What about all the things you did here?” 

This Rachel has left a splash on redefining this timeline. Rekindling the relationship with Chloe, Frank, Megan, Nathan and even her own mother. With the eventual plan to takedown Jefferson, she hopes to find a new home for Jefferson’s daughter, Audrey.

Rachel shrugs her shoulders, agitated with the tone and words of this seemingly thankless person. “I don’t care. I just want to go see my Mom.”

The sound of muffled footsteps approach as the door opens from right behind the unsteady blonde as Elizabeth peeks out, “Uh… I’m right here.” Her body creeps out more out of the door, leaning against the frame with crossed arms, “What in the world was that?” Her fingers point inward at the bedroom, referring to the awkward conversation they both had. “What is going on?”

Rachel’s body wavers slightly to the sight of her mother with a mixture of joy and sorrow. Even though her mother is full of energy and life in front of her, she cannot help but think about her real mother in her own timeline. The one that she simply left behind for all of this. That image of seeing her mother in the hospital still wrings out the large arteries by her heart with hopeless dread. Not sure if it is a flashback, visions of another timeline or from even _this_ Rachel’s memories. It seems nothing will ever make sense but it will continue to drive her closer to the edge. With a soft voice that it almost cracks into a squeak, “Mom… please take care, okay? I love you, so much. And please, take care of Dad.”

“Gosh…” Her mother’s body straightens back up to glance at the other girls in the room to try and squeeze out a confession with her glare if they are responsible for her daughter’s behavior. “Rachel, what the hell is going on? You’re still going to Blackwell, right?” She eyes the school dropout in the room.

The daughter winces, looking away and unable to remain focused with her trembling eyes, “I am still in school. I just… miss you, a lot.”

Elizabeth leans closer trying to get a better view, “Rachel, come here.”

“No, Mom I’m fine…” The defiant girl dodges away, still keeping her back toward her.

“I said…” Elizabeth boldly steps away from the door, pulling her daughter by the collar of her plaid jacket, “...get your ass back in here.” The daughter resists slightly but the mother is relentless and drags her fully into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She looks deeply into her daughter’s faltering eyes, “What is going on? Is it the way I’ve been treating you lately?” The mother softens her expression, “I’m sorry, honey. I know it isn’t an excuse but the sickness does do the talking sometimes.”

Rachel rolls her shoulders, as her body stabilizes itself from being pulled. She clenches onto her jacket and shrinking her body. Her voice creaks with straining tension, “I just wish I could do some stuff over again, you know?”

Her mother’s mouth slackens slightly, “You’re too young to be self-loathing at this type of thing.” She expands out her arms, “There’s a long future ahead of you.”

 _This Rachel didn’t have much more of a future since she is supposed to die in about a month._ The daughter cranes her head slowly toward her, “Is there?” She rolls her eyes dismissively, drifting back toward the emptiness of the room. “Or maybe the future is too long. And, that it is never ending.”

Elizabeth snorts, wrinkling her eyebrows, “That’s nonsense. No one lives forever.”

Rachel nods gently, “I wish that was actually true…” Her expression is dull and empty, gazing at her own mother with despondence. “For me, at least…”

The mother lowers her eyebrows, tilting in close. She gently rolls up the sleeve of her daughter’s jacket, examining the smooth skin of her arm. Rachel doesn’t wince at all, letting it to be examined. Her mother continues with the second arm, eyeing the blue star tattoo and the rest of her clean and silky arm. Elizabeth centers her eyes back on her daughter, concluding her brief inspection of signs of any self-mutilation. She scolds at her daughter, “Don’t you say those type of things around me, okay?” After her bitter tone, she swoops in and wraps her arms tightly around her daughter. “I love you too much, you got that?”

Rachel looks on over her mother’s shoulder, feeling a flutter that sails up to her tightening chest. In the other timeline, her mind has succumbed to such ill thoughts as she has lost everyone with her own selfish mistakes and resentments relating to her powers. She closes her eyes, nuzzling her face into her mother’s neck with soft sobs escaping from her lips.

Elizabeth hears it and warmly pats on her back, almost like she is pushing the sorrow out of her daughter’s body. She whispers to her, “There is so much to life than what we can immediately see. It may hurt right now but you will grow strong, okay? You will look back in life and be proud that you conquered such hardships.” She nods her head, “And, I will be here...”

Rachel shrugs her body, knowing that she cannot confide with this mother about her secret time powers and the overwhelming burden that it carries. And also, that she isn’t even from this timeline and uncertain if she will be here any longer. She deflects her mother’s concern, pushing the partial lie through her teeth. “I’m just… going through a stressful time. But, I’ll be fine, Mom…” Not sure what her fate and intentions will ultimately be but for this very moment she would like to be in the affable company of this mother. _I won’t be fine, Mom… but I love to be with you just a little bit longer. If there is something that I wouldn’t mind being endless, it is being with you, Mom._

“That’s my girl… Teenage years were rough for me but I know you will do fine.” Elizabeth reaches up, combing the long hair of her daughter all the way down to its ends. “Be strong… There are many people out there that love you. Especially your mother and father.”

The comforting words pull out a weak sob from Rachel. Her mother reacts to this, tightening her embrace even more. The daughter pushes out her tight throat, “I… I know.”

The mother runs her hand up along her daughter’s stiff back, pushing a joking smile that blends with her slight melancholic face, “You don’t want to be wandering spirit, right?”

The blonde teenager’s nose wrinkles at the comment, “What? What do you mean?”

Elizabeth chuckles softly, “Remember? You told me about that belief in Buddhism or was it Taoism? I’m not actually sure.”

“Umm… I’m not sure?...”

She reels her daughter back giving close eye contact with her, looking at the accessory that dangles from her left ear, “Aww, you always been such a hippie with these spiritual beliefs that I thought you would be wearing a peacock feather instead of a bluejay.” 

Rachel pushes out a forced chuckle through her confusion, “I love my blue jay earring. Why would I want a peacock feather?”

Elizabeth curls her shoulders, “You said that it symbolizes immortality and whatever…” Her voice trails off for a moment, then returning back, “... it has the eyes of the stars with omniscient knowledge or something like that.” She shakes her head in embarrassment of this trivia knowledge, “Nevermind. I like the blue jay legend that you told me. How they are tricksters and clever but still helpful to others.”

The daughter runs her fingers, brushing the blue jay earring and rubbing the back of her neck. “I guess… What is the Buddhism or Taoism thing you were referring earlier?”

The mother’s tone remains light-hearted, “The one when someone commits the ultimate sin of taking their own life, that they will remain in limbo as a spirit forever.”

“Oh yeah...” Rachel’s eyebrows crease as she is confused but still have the urge to know more. “I’m just curious if you actually pay attention to my nonsense.” She plays it off smoothly. _My mother did try and listen to me when I talked about my crazy visions and ideas. It is cute that it is still somewhat the same in this timeline._

“Of course I listen to your shenanigans.” Her mother’s eyebrows arch in amusement, “It wasn’t too long ago. I’m not _that_ old and forgetful. You said how the spirit wanders around aimlessly through time, revisiting their life over and over and unable to remember their previous fate and what they did with themselves.” Elizabeth leaves a short pause, hoping to hear some confirmation from her daughter. But still remaining silent, Elizabeth continues, “Until somehow, maybe through some powerful action like a divine intervention, that they can finally break the cycle. Then, the soul may have some rest.” Her shoulders shudder at the grim subject she is talking about, “Or, rather finally aware of their sinful actions.”

“A lost wandering spirit, huh?” Rachel’s eyes blink owlishly, slowly sailing into the empty ceiling. “...That drifts through time… and not knowing its own true fate?”

“I know it’s silly, isn’t it?” Elizabeth rubs the back of her neck, “But I’m still getting chills just talking about this to you…” She extends out her right forearm, noticing the beads that protrude out of her skin, “Wow, I have goosebumps! Okay, now I remember what you said… You said the soul will never actually find rest. They will live in a state of eternal remorse for their actions.” She puffs off a soft chuckle, like she passed the quiz that she inadvertently gave herself.

Rachel lets the silence briefly coat the chilly and bitter room for a short moment. _That’s an interesting belief… To be stuck in a dreadful loop and can’t do anything to stop it._ She gazes at her hand, as its fingers grip weakly into the air shooting a few glowing sparks of electricity. A shudder sails up her spine from the passing thought about her existence and purposes in everything. She balls her hand and deflecting the brooding thought. “Mom, are you scared of dying?”

The melancholy words instantly propel away the remaining chirpiness that is left in the mother’s throat. Elizabeth licks her lips, nodding softly, “When I heard the news, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Especially with the whole thing with your father.” She takes a step back, falling to sit on the bed, “I felt… a little better once I was getting more educated about it. But there is always _that_ chance.”

“I know…” Rachel wobbles her way, sitting right beside her mother on the bed.

The mother shifts her body closer, “I’ll be honest…” She also tugs on her blue plaid jacket like her daughter, feeling insecure with the conversation as well. “I know I was bitching about him earlier but…” Her head falters uneasily, feeling the ripple in her throat straining her words, “I’m very worried about your father.” She presses her lips tightly, swaying her body with a dodgy expression. After a brief silence, she continues, “This isn’t how I’d imagine raising you, Rachel.” She exhales sharply that sounds almost like a sob, then her head tilts down, looking at her own hands.

The daughter furrows her eyebrows, also dipping her head. _In my timeline, my mom was widowed and raised me all by herself. So, in this timeline, Rachel seemed so perfect and immaculate, but even with time powers, she couldn’t pave the path she wanted for her parents._ Rachel finally speaks up, “I… miss the past.” Her eyes flit toward her mother, “When things were easier.” 

_Life should always be about progressing yourself as a person. But how worth it is it if you cannot share your progress and experience with someone else? They will never see you for the person you really are. In one flickering moment, they are your most beloved ones, then the next they’re almost complete strangers. Time travel powers just add too much complications. You fix one thing then five more unexpected shit happens._

Elizabeth draws her head back with a forced smile, “Me too… I also miss how things are back then.” She gives a simple pat on her daughter’s stiff back, then standing up to make her way toward one of the boxes that are littered on the floor of her bedroom. Stacked on the top is a large photo album with a brown leather covering. Perhaps, her mother looked at the photo albums frequently since she is alone a lot. She picks it up and carries it carefully with both hands, returning back to sit beside Rachel.

The mother opens, setting the album comfortably on her lap. The edges of the album are grizzled from both uses and time. With one hand, she carefully flips through the laminated pages containing murals of the Amber family history. With tenderness, her other hand curls tightly around her daughter. Rachel looks on with rousing and curious eyes to these treasured mementos in the album. They are all mysterious, like as if they’re portals to other timelines. Or perhaps, discrete markers in one of the continuous lines of time.

The mother freezes at a picture where it shows the young daughter posing with her parents. Not surprisingly, Elizabeth resembles a lot like Rachel in her younger years. Gorgeous traits and worthy to be a model as well.

_Wow, this is exactly how I remembered Dad. I refused to look at these pictures because it always broke my heart. Even just the sight of these photo albums would haunt me when I saw them tucked away in my mother’s closet. I never felt the desire to look back at the past, since I can never have it anyways._

The mother runs her fingers, brushing gently on the wrapping that is preserving the longevity of the photos, “This was the Christmas around the new millennium, I think. Oh…” Her eyebrows arch up, “I remembered this…” The sly eyes sail toward her daughter, demanding in silence if the teenager also remembers it.

“I-I’m…” Rachel stammers through her uncertainty, but also with the growing urge to know about this life. “Can you tell me?”

Elizabeth’s lips twist into a smile from the forgetfulness of her daughter, “Well Princess… maybe it was our fault for giving in to your tantrums.” She leans in, scratching her index finger at the chin of Rachel, causing her daughter to let out a soft giggle from the ticklish sensation. “For a little girl, you were so adamant about not leaving Long Beach. We both put in our two weeks notice and already signed up for a housing and construction company here in Arcadia Bay.” She takes a deep inhale and puffing out a sighing grin, “Thank goodness we didn’t sell our home, yet. But we both had to pick up some part-time jobs in the meantime. I worked at Starbucks for eight months before I could find a stable job, again.” She beams with radiant energy, “Shows how much we loved you.”

 _I told Dad to stay in Long Beach because I wanted to prevent his death. I didn’t want him and Mom to work for the Prescotts. And, I didn’t want to go back to Arcadia Bay._ “Yes…” Rachel laughs, trying to curb the welling of the joyful tears, “Sorry, Mom.”

“It’s fine…” Elizabeth returns back to the photo album, “I still find it even more strange that you wanted to visit Arcadia Bay later.” Her eyes widen sardonically, “For vacations, we could have gone to New York City or even San Francisco.” She shakes her head in disbelief, “Instead, you explicitly wanted to go to Arcadia Bay. You’re such an odd but goofy child. What a foolish lingering regret you held onto as a kid.”

“I did…?” Rachel quickly trails to a silence, to interrupt and hide her confusion. However, her eyes light up in an amusement, thinking how adorable she must have been even though it isn’t actually her own actions. “I was just a kid…”

“You were a little older but still a silly kid. You do remember coming back to Arcadia Bay, right?” The mother bares her teeth, showing the youthful and playful nature at heart. “There should be some pictures. I forget you were eight or nine.” She continues flipping the page, steadily examining each picture which follows with an occasional silent smile from the mother’s brief reminiscing. Finally, her eyes land at a photo, “Ah, here’s a picture of us. I forget where this park was but I think it isn’t too far from here.” She lets out a hearty laugh, then pulls her daughter in, “Look at your face… you looked like you swallowed a lemon or something.”

Rachel leans in closer, draping her head onto the warm shoulder of her mother. The picture is of the Amber family, still young. Rachel is in the middle with two pigtails but with a pressed lips that seem to look more of a frown than a smile.

“Oh wow, you’re right…” She cringes at her picture, “Maybe it is just bad timing?”

“It is something, alright. You have always been photogenic, even as a kid. I don’t know what happened.” Elizabeth tips her nose, “Ah yes, now I remember this. You wanted a picnic at the park during the trip.” She buries half of her face into the palm of her right hand, “So, we just bought already-prepared food from the grocery store. And, we immediately stood out as tourists.” She presses her face up from her fingertips, “Well, there was that woman that was nice… I think she was the one that took this picture.” She gazes at the picture one last time, “I do love these moments.”

Rachel presses against the album, taking a more inquiring examination of the picture. The mother shifts the album over to her daughter’s lap to make it easier. The blonde time traveler gazes deeply into the photo, feeling something resonates into her mind. Like threads that weave throughout the endless depth in her mind but somehow still reverberating closely and boldly with her. Her eyebrows lower with a pressed lips as the air in the room becomes still for a single flickering moment before the entire world changes around her.

Shafts of the warm sunlight sweep across her young and smooth skin causing her to squint her hazel eyes. The silhouette of a woman with long wavy brown hair stands in front of the falling sun. The woman takes a look at the camera in her hand, shielding from the blinding golden afternoon sun with the contrasting dimly lit park in the background. It seems like Rachel has entered into the picture, one of the past memories of this timeline’s Rachel. However, there is an odd sensation. It feels like she is a ghost yet at the same thing she can feel everything perfectly in this younger and smaller body. 

The swabs of the cool wind flow smoothly across her skin like paint from an artist’s brush. Even with that soothing sensation, she has virtually no control over her body. Like all of her actions are being dictated by someone else and she is going along for the ride.

The woman with the camera squints her eyes, observing the picture she just took on the small LCD screen, “I think it looks good. Let me know if you want me to take it again.” She steps forward handing over the old silver digital camera.

Rachel tilts her nose up, as her towering mother steps forward to receive the camera, who is younger but still looks relatively the same and beautiful, “Should be good…” She digs her fingernail into the micro button to preview the photo, “Yeahhh…” Elizabeth gives a quick dart of teasing eyes to her small daughter then back at the photo, “Thank you so much! What is your name?”

“Vanessa.” The lady smoothly tucks her hands into her pockets, who is wearing a casual outfit of jeans and long sleeve tan colored shirt. She sways her body and twisting her tall leather black boots into the earth of the park. She also is a beautiful woman with a fairly youthful appearance like Rachel’s mother. Vanessa continues, “So, you were saying you are just in town for vacation? What brings you into our neck of the woods? This isn’t exactly the first town people think about in Oregon. I mean there is Florence and Astoria...”

“You tell me…” Rachel’s father smiles, then glancing down at his daughter with a playful stern look. “We actually were in Portland for two days. Obviously, couldn’t visit any of the breweries that it is known for.” Bradley rubs the short blonde pigtails of his adorable daughter, “But, we also wanted to see the beautiful Pacific Coast with a wilderness background opposed to the urban and smoggy setting of the Los Angeles area.” His head scans all around at the relatively peaceful park that is crowned in crimson from the radiant molten-gold sun. Kids are running around and adults are chattering through their food coma but the tranquil state is still preserved. “This looks like a cozy town to be in. I was going to work here, but things…” He trails to a pause, shooting a friendly smile at Rachel. “...happened…”

Vanessa’s eyes light up, covering her mouth, “Oh… she was born?”

Bradley waves his hands to rectify the confusion, “Oh no!” He slides his hand onto his daughter’s back, “She didn’t want to move and just loved Long Beach. So, I had to turn down the job.” He looks over at his wife, “We both had to turn down our jobs after we accepted it.”

“Aww…” The tall brunette lady kneels down to get more aligned with the little girl’s height. Rachel winces with a dodgy and apprehensive expression being up close to this lady. Vanessa continues, “You were scared to make the move, huh? You look like a sweet girl with those adorable pigtails! Our town is full of nice people. What is your name?” She has a cheery smile to would invite anyone’s heart, except Rachel’s.

The little girl squirms, leaning her body closely against the comfort of the jeans of her mother. The sight of this woman instills an oppressing sensation that drains all the courage from the small girl.

Elizabeth looks down at her daughter, “Rachel?” She darts her puzzling eyes to Vanessa with a nervous laughter. “My daughter is usually very bold and talkative with everyone. Even with adults. I’m not sure what’s up…”

Vanessa stands back up and taking a retreating big step back, “Oh, it is my fault. I mean no harm but I can appear to be frightening to some people.” She scratches her head, “At least, my own daughter tells me that.”

Elizabeth smiles, as Rachel nuzzles into her hand for warmth. The mother defends the little girl’s awkward behavior, “Rachel is having a rare case of shyness. You have a daughter, too?” Her eyes flicker with curiosity, “How old is she?”

Vanessa cranes her head around looking at the rest of the park that is becoming more dimly lit by the dying sun but still lively with the kids in the playground area. “She just turned eight, last month. The little girl with the blue shirt over there by the monkey bars.” She points into the distant to a small girl with a bob cut. “How old is uh…” She looks back to the timid blonde girl, “...Rachel?”

Elizabeth replies back, “She’s nine. Only a year older.” She gently cradles her daughter’s face to give direct eye contact. “Honey, you want to go play with Vanessa’s daughter?”

“Yeah, don’t be shy.” Vanessa’s voice is soft, taking a step to the side so Rachel can see with clarity toward the playground where the children are. “She just made a new friend with another girl today. Her name is Chloe.”

The sound of the name rouses her interest. Rachel squints her eyes, looking at the small brunette girl who is leaning against the monkey bars, chatting with a girl with long strawberry blonde hair who is sitting proudly on top of the bars, dangling fearlessly from it with a cheery expression. Seeing the way they are smiling and laughing with each other, sends a sharp tear into the little girl’s heart. A gash that slowly swells to let in a void to be filled with razor sharp despair.

The muscle in her cheeks relax, causing her lips to gape. Her fingers slither with uncertainty as a part of her wants to reach out to this person. She takes a few steps toward the girls but her legs paralyze to stick onto the waxy blades of the grasses beneath her. “M-Maxine…” She calls to her best friend in a whisper with her head slowly faltering down. Her body may be young but she has the memories of growing up to their twenties with this very special person. 

Elizabeth approaches her daughter from behind, whispering to her to hopefully inspire some courage. “I know we’re not from here. But you can go play with those girls.” She runs her fingers through her daughter’s hair, “Maybe you guys will get along and exchange phone numbers.” Elizabeth hands her daughter her cell phone as Rachel does not own a phone.

In the distance, Max turns around to look in the direction of her mother, squinting but still unable to see the strangers that her mother is mingling with, including the little blonde girl. Rachel looks back with rapid blinking eyes. A part of her wants to shrug to the side to cover herself but another part of her contradicts that instinct. Maybe somehow that her long time former best friend could possibly remember her even after the resetting of everything in the timeline. She wishes for Max to just sprint across the park with glowing energy and give a long overdue hug with her real best friend. Or, rather anything along that line would be great. Even if it is anger or hatred, just someone to even recognize Rachel in her lonely journey through time. Instead, Max turns back around, looking proudly up to her newly made friend, Chloe.

Rachel presses her lips together, nodding softly, knowing she has to walk this path alone. But still, she yearns for the past that she grew up with. Maybe just for a harmless moment, Rachel can feel alive underneath the mask of torment that she wears. This desire briefly invigorates the girl to drag her legs across the park to daringly approach the two girls. She cranes her head to briefly look over at Vanessa, half expecting her to hunt Rachel down for even daring to approach her precious daughter.

The brunette already senses the girl that draws close to them, turning her body to face her. Max is bold with a sweet and glowing smile that stuns Rachel in her tracks. The adorable girl swings her arms behind her, swaying her body from side to side, “Hi! I saw you over there with my mom. My name is Maxine.” She is energized probably just from her initial meeting with her new friend, Chloe.

The strawberry blonde girl waves, rocking on the top of the monkey bars and introducing herself, “I’m Chloe, what’s your name?”

Their warm greetings soothe Rachel. It is friendly and simple but it is a sharp contrast to the very last time they saw each other under different circumstances. Being struck in awe, she struggles with her words, “Uh…” Rachel’s eyes flit around with growing awkwardness. She knows she cannot give her real name as she doesn’t plan on rekindling this lost bond with her old best friend. As alluring as it seems, she knows it will dig back up hurtful memories. Even if you could have a second chance with that person with your powers, Rachel will never forget the long painful path that they paved together or able to share that with Max. So, Rachel makes up a name for herself, thinking about a person whose name rings close in her mind. “Kristine…” She pushes the false name out unsteadily.

Max smiles, baring her teeth of her playful and gentle nature, which is a complete departure to the person that Rachel remembers painfully. But nothing gold can stay. The loving girl continues, “Nice to meet you, Kristine.” She looks up to her other new friend with a sly smile, “Me and Chloe were talking about where we should go to hide from the evil grown-ups.”

Chloe swings her dangling feet, “Yeah, like an adventure in this town. Do you have an idea?”

Rachel rubs her chin, pondering in deep thought about such place. The other two girls look on with genuine patience, eager to listen. Finally, the pigtailed blonde replies back, “Maybe the lighthouse?”

Chloe tips her index finger up with her lips gaped in amusement, “Oh, that’s a great idea!”

Max nods her head rapidly, bursting with energy, “Yeah, that sounds fun. Like a real adventure!”

Rachel tucks her hands into her pockets, rocking back in forth in her sneakers, “I heard something about lighthouses from someone.” She tips her head up, gazing at the dim sky to see some faded stars in the distant. “If you look up into the sky with all those stars.” Both Chloe’s and Max’s head follow in curiosity into the swirling violet of the sky. Rachel continues, “The stars up there are like lighthouses, giving us guidance.” Her pupils dilate, focusing into the sea that hangs above them. “They’re like lighthouses from other timelines.” She draws her head looking toward the coast, but it is shrouded by the long line of silhouettes of both trees and buildings. “And, we are just one of very many. If we ever get lost and need guidance, we can always find it at the lighthouse.”

The other two girls return to stare at the reminiscing girl with raised eyebrows. Max rubs her eyes, asking, “Timelines? Like… the Dinosaur timeline?” She grins, taking a step closer, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. But sounds neato.” The little girl still conveys a warm tone, despite not understanding at all.

Rachel grins, momentarily forgetting that her experiences and knowledge may be too jarring for the two young girls who have a pure and clean slate of mind without a single worry or expectation of the world they are living in.

Max continues, “Do you want to join in on our adventures? I got Chloe’s number already.”

Rachel relaxes her body, pressing her lips to a forced smile. She knows this is going to be the last time she is going to see her best friend, but she doesn’t want this moment to end. “Sure.” She calmly pulls out her mother’s phone and handing it to Max. “Put your number on this phone.”

Max tilts her head up, “Okay! It is actually my mom’s phone but you can ask for me.” She takes the phone, navigating the menu to spell out her name ‘Maxine’ and entering her number. She sticks her tongue out, “Isn’t the lighthouse pretty high up? I may be a scaredy cat and think I would fall off it.”

Rachel looks on with a distant gaze, as the words of Max claws a chasm into her mind, letting her draw deeper into it. Something that is calling her to walk even further along the fragile strands of memories that lies out of time. Her eyes roll up as a blanket of darkness engulfs around her, warping the formerly cheery scene to something more foreboding.

A streak of lightning flickers across the cloud-drenched sky, illuminating the darkest shadows in the bedroom. The thunder comes close behind with the sky shedding its rain onto Arcadia Bay. The two young girls toss peacefully in the small single twin sized bed against the glowing and murmuring from the lambent television.

Maxine fumbles for the remote control, tucked underneath the warm fluffy blanket. She pulls her body up to aim the remote control to turn off the television, inviting more darkness into the room. She leans over and clumsily tosses the remote at the nightstand, causing a loud sharp crash that stirs the sleepy blonde girl that is right beside her. She peers down, seeing the blue jay earring is still on Rachel’s right ear. She whispers to her, carefully taking it off, “Keep sleeping, I’ll take off your earring. It’s late… Mom and Dad are already asleep.”

Rachel nuzzles deeper into the pillow, feeling the frosty air of the stormy night but cuddling under the shield of the warm blanket. “Thanks… Maxine.” Loving the fact she gets to sleep over her best friend’s house after staying up so late watching cartoons and animes.

With care, the sweet brunette places the precious earring onto the nightstand, then she peers out the window where combs of dim moonlight slither through the blinds. She jokes with a suspenseful tone, “The storm is coming… Dun dun dun…”

Rachel mumbles through her stirring closed eyes, “Storms always get to me. Because it reminds me of that dream...”

Maxine is still in an upright position in bed, still entranced with the beads of water crashing into the glass of the window, then gliding down the surface as long flowing streams, “I know… the one I yelled ‘Geronimo!’ and leaped off the rooftop, right?”

“Maxine!” Rachel gives a lazy but sharp slap across the lower back of her best friend, cursing her for even laughing at something that is so foreboding and true, “Don’t joke around like that! It is real. I can see into the future.”

Maxine rubs the mild sting that steams over her skin with clenched teeth, “Relax… I believe you.” She asks her friend with oracle-like visions, “So, I’m not allowed to go to school with tall roofs?”

Rachel’s eyebrows lower, closer to her sleepy eyes, “I need to find out what school that was in my vision. But it does look like Arcadia Bay. So I think it is Blackwell Academy.”

Maxine’s lips twist into a smirk, “Hey, I’m so smart in the future.”

The sleepy girl scolds at the reckless attitude, “Stop it… That is not the future you’d want. The dream is terrible. You were in your pajamas and you were holding two photos close to your body.” 

Maxine snickers, she extends out her arms looking at the light blue long sleeve pajamas she is wearing. “I’m in my PJ’s?”

Rachel exclaims at her, “It isn’t funny!” She resists this time from slapping her friend’s playful attitude. She sniffs her nose as the sorrow from recalling that vision is stifling her throat, “You were crying so much…” She cuts herself from finishing, opening her eyes to join Maxine in staring into the rough weather in the night, “And, it was raining as bad as right now along with lightning.”

The brunette blinks slowly, tugging for more of her portion of the blanket to cover her sitting body. Her tone returns back with sincerity to honor her best friend’s request, “What were the photos? You never told me the details of this vision.”

Rachel squeezes her eyes shut, trying to remember that dreadful moment, shedding a single stream of tears, “One of the pictures… was you and your parents. The other one, I couldn’t see because you held it so close to your body.” Her eyes open, gazing at the empty ceiling that is always the perfect canvas for her vivid imaginations, “But there was another picture that you threw on the ground… It was already ripped up.”

The sound of the pattering of the rain grows in intensity, drowning out the silence in the room. The small brunette girl asks, “What was it?”

Feeling a slight sting of contrasting heat and chill that leak from the pores on her skin and blending with terror, she boldly continues, “I can only see a piece of it since it was ripped. I’m not sure, but it looks like a picture that was taken from behind you. And you’re looking at a bunch of other photos on the wall in some room.” She crosses her arms underneath the blanket, “There are also some glowing orbs of… something…”

Maxine arches her eyebrows, despite the vagueness of the description, “Interesting…” 

Rachel adds to it, continuing to describe her vision, “You were older maybe like in high school?… I can still remember your face when you looked at me.” Her fingers paw tightly against the blanket, “You even called out to me in that dream.”

Maxine turns around, finally facing her best friend. The muffled moonlight reflects off her young freckled face, “Well, it is because you’re my guardian angel. No matter what the future throws at me, you will always be there.”

A wave of shyness sweeps across Rachel, “I-I”. She stammers, rolling her puffy eyes, “I don’t know… but I hope so...”

Maxine relaxes her body, letting it crash comfortably back onto her pillow and getting in close with Rachel, “We’re best friends.” She reaches out with her hand, squeezing their fingers together. “We will never leave each other, right?”

Rachel looks down at the warm touch, then back into the eyes of the freckled girl, “Yeah...” 

She closes her eyes to hide her deceitfulness. All good things have to cave into the hungry end. Some of the most beautiful and alluring moments in life seem to spiral out of control abruptly, slipping from a person’s own grasp and leaving them behind. The room slowly glows to a blinding light, returning back to the playground in Arcadia Bay.

The young Rachel stares at her mother’s phone where Max punched in her number. A drop of blood splatters onto the LCD screen of the phone, dripping from the blonde girl’s nose.

Max’s voice rings into her head, _“Do you remember that stormy night?”_

The blonde’s eyes lazily drag upward, finding the young Chloe on top of the monkey bars. Her fingers clutch deeply into her sweater, grasping at her stomach. Her teeth are clenched with agonizing and silent pain. A growing sheet of blood emerges through her clothes around her waist section. Her head shudders, not knowing what is going on or aware of what she is getting herself into by befriending with Max and Rachel. It is the fatal gunshot wound from the restroom. Nothing ever changes.

The small freckled girl has her body completely looking away like she is hiding her face. A small but dominant flame kindles within Rachel, sensing the dreadful aura that emanates from Max’s body. Her eyes draw toward the curled fingers of the brunette’s right hand. Steadily, a couple of drops of blood weave smoothly between the fingers and then falling endlessly through the earth and what abyss that lies beneath.

Rachel’s eyes widen with burning cheeks, looking back up to her best friend who is still looking away. “Max…” She calls to her with thickening voice but silence is the only response she can get. Everything stands peacefully still with the exception of the young dying Chloe, who also looks over at the younger girl, but evidently having no reaction. Perhaps, Chloe can’t really see Max anymore. 

Rachel glances at the number on her phone again, then putting it away in her pocket. “Things would have been different if I kept in touch with you, huh?” A numbing void blankets her smooth skin, nulling everything she can feel and robbing her breaths. Through her crushing suffocation, a hoarse stream of saliva drips down from Rachel’s lips, wrapping down her chin bone and strangling down her neck.

Max’s cold fingers twitch in response to Rachel’s words, weakly reaching backward for her best friend. Rachel casts a longing stare at the hand that is partially extended out toward her, seeing with more clarity of the steady flowing torrent of blood that drips off it. With frail efforts and her body feeling lethargic and sluggish, she makes a final unsteady approach toward her, reaching out to join Max’s bloodied hand. 

Their fingers weave together, spreading the blood between them. Feeling their pain together. No more words are being exchanged between the tormented time travelers. There isn’t any need to break this tranquil silence. Even the numbing pain, this seems rather serene. Peaceful. Away from the brutal reality of the world. It just feels right for them to be together.

Another contraction from her stomach rises to her chest, sending out another creamy congealed stream through her rugged breaths, dangling down from her lips and partially resisting the full force of gravity. Rachel eyes the girl that is sitting on the monkey bar, with a lost and perplexed expression. Her waist is completely drenched in blood, but her clothing resists it from spilling out. _Chloe is dead._ Rachel’s eyes follow down to her connected hand with Max as the blood continues bridging over. The gleaming crimson stream that breaks into a network of trails. Rachel’s eyes get lost in the maze-like design on her forearm.

“Honey!” Suddenly, Elizabeth’s voice calls out to her daughter, “What’s the matter?” She pries the time traveler from her peace that exists out of time and back into the cold and gritty reality. Finally, the bedroom of Elizabeth swarms back quickly into her sight as the bloodied and young version of Max and Chloe are gone.

Rachel jolts her body, craning her head through all around the room. _Why am I seeing this Rachel’s memories?_ She glances down at her own shaky hands but trying to focus them in the glimmering visions that flicker with clarity, almost like her eyes are being drowned in tears but it isn’t. _Or, are they actually my memories…? All of these memories…?_ _They just feel so real and I’m no longer sure, anymore…_

She looks over at the door in the direction where the other girls are at, sensing the awkward and silent patience through the wall. Her eyes stare blankly, drifting off to the bland texture of the room. _So this Rachel observed Max and Chloe from a distant. Then later, she eventually came back to Arcadia Bay to find Chloe. But…_ She scans around the brown boxes that are scattered on the floor of the room. _Many things just kept piling onto Rachel. She couldn’t keep living in the past and had to move forward in her life. This may have been too aggressive or reckless which eventually led to her death._

“Rachel, you seem really out of it.” Elizabeth’s tone is more forbidding, “Have you been…” She hesitates for a moment, “...doing drugs?”

The blonde teenager hisses through her teeth, her mind is being swept through a tornado, “I-I’m not… Mom.” Still bothered and disturbed by the conflicting visions that surge into her mind.

“Let me see!” Elizabeth grabs Rachel by both of her cheeks, gripping and forcing her to look directly into each other’s eyes. She isn’t actually doing a drug test from just merely looking at her daughter but trying to see if there is any deceptiveness in her expression. But the whimpering eyes of Rachel quickly softens the bold expression of her mother to shrink away from her accusatory front. She gently releases her, “Alright…”

Rachel lowers her chin to her chest, trying to regain her composure after her chaotic trip through time. Not sure if it is her powers are suddenly surging with augmentation or something within her is trying to draw a message. Slowly, her head drifts back up to make steady contact with her mother, “To be honest, Mom… I just feel like I don’t have anything anymore.” She wets her lips, finally remembering her undying love for her mother. The only person that she has left, “And, this is taking a toll on my mind and body.”

“Rachel…” The mother’s tone is soft and compassionate, feeling the sorrow and terror that is springing from her daughter.

Rachel closes her eyes to help extinguish the rampaging flames in her mind. _I’m starting to think that I dragged everyone down with my powers. With all the tension and friction created, now both Chloe and Kate eventually got pulled into it as well._ She rubs the back of her neck, thinking about what Max said to her about that stormy night. _Regardless whose memories I was viewing through… that past in the bedroom with Maxine when we were little... should have been my timeline, as well. Is that the stormy night she was asking if I remembered? Shit… I don’t know why but I’m actually having trouble remembering some of my past. Even those haunting visions I had when I was younger, I have trouble recalling the details._

The broken teenager deflects the endless amount of ill thoughts and continues with her mother. “I just feel like I’m slipping away from both you and Dad. When you’re okay and well, then what about Dad? He has no one in this world, anymore. With him talking about giving me all of his money when he dies...” She sniffs as the gushing sorrow overwhelms her face, “I just want all of us to be happy. I really mean that.”

“Oh god, Rachel…” The mother’s face falters against her sobs, “I do, too.” Her voice squeaks with melancholic pain, “Your father isn’t an evil person.” She presses her lips tightly together, feeling the growing lump in her throat that obstructs her words and thoughts. She swallows and forces it out, “I just get… frustrated sometimes and on top of that my sickness. But I should learn to…” She balls her fists tightly, digging her nails and hoping the piercing pain will soothe her conflicting emotions.

Rachel nods sympathetically, “Mom, it’s okay. You have all the reasons to hate him.”

Elizabeth shakes her head slightly, “I want you to be happy.” Her eyes drift away looking at something far away in the small bedroom. Something that she strived for but lost it. Slowly, her head sails back to her daughter, “I’ll go… talk to your father, tonight. Just to see how he is doing.” She bites the inner of her bottom lip, as it truly pains her to even contact him. But for the very special person in front of her, she is willing to put in all the effort in the world to give it a shot. Elizabeth already knows the depressive state that Bradley is in, so even a simple greeting can brighten his day even if it is momentary. She forces out the smile, with enduring effort, “Does that sound good?”

Rachel pushes her smile with a numbing strain, knowing it is the best she can ask for, but just proud that her mother is courageous to do such of an act. Brave like her own real mother. “Mom… yes, it does.” She lets out a soft laugh to vocalize her content and pleased feeling, “Thank you.” With dreamy eyes, she gazes at her mother who Rachel is starting to open up to as if she is her actual mother.

“Promise to not forget about your, mother?” Elizabeth winks at her daughter, with a sneaky smile.

What is left of the cheeriness in Rachel’s face quickly subsides to the very exact words that her own mother muttered toward her in the haunting scene that she experienced. The phantom rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor rings back loudly into her mind, forcing her face to flinch and shrink away from her mother. 

_I can’t let my own mother die. I could be walking down the wrong road, but… what choice do I really have? Is there even a choice? Time is running out..._

“Rachel?” Her mother asks with concern.

The daughter shakes her head, as everything has become quiet again. She twists her lips into a distorted smile, “I’m okay…” With clenched teeth, bracing for the jarring sensation that resonates into her body. “My friends are waiting for me outside, Mom. I’ll call you later?”

The mother holds on with steady posture, feeling unconvinced with her daughter’s erratic behavior. But slowly, she somehow rationalizes it inside her head, acknowledging with a soft nod. She puts aside the photo album and leans in to give a tight hug with Rachel. Elizabeth whispers into Rachel’s ear, “If you ever feel lost in life, come to me. I’ll always be here for you.” She slides her hand across her daughter’s back, soothing her. She grins with a thumbs up, “I’ll kick the crap out of this cancer. I will show the world.”

Rachel chuckles underneath her breaths, enough to even transform her smile to be actually genuine. A warm feeling calms inside her belly with this comforting person in front of her. Having the same feeling no different than seeing her actual mother. She nods her head, muttering to her, “Thanks, Mom. I know you will...”

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Sandpiper Apartments - Parking Lot

#### March 21th, 2013 5:18 PM

The four girls walk down the exterior stone steps of the weathered gray apartment, dodging a few young kids that are darting past them and screaming with a boundless amount of excitement, shattering the empty brooding silence among the girls. Rachel lugs on the red thermos carrying her hot tea carefully among the rampant children, afraid they may knock it out of her hand.

The fresh air nuzzles the heated skin of the blonde time traveler, getting the much needed relief from that conscious nightmare. More and more, Rachel is fearful what her powers may deliver toward the girls that are around her. That grim image of the trio continues to eat apart at her insides as she is unable to put any reason around it. She contemplates if she should share any of it to the girls or if it is meritless and actually detrimental. _That vision where all three of us… dying slowly was the one that was detached from the rest. Is it a premonition? What is going to happen to us?_

The late afternoon sun still brightens the moderately filled parking lot as the girls approach Chloe’s parked truck. The bluenette digs into the pocket of her jacket, pulling out a pack of cigs. Nervously, she begins packing it despite already done it earlier. She slips a cigarette and holding it between her lips, with her other hand fumbling for her lighter. “So, uh…” She speaks balancing the smoke in her mouth, “...where are we going now?”

The girls stop by the truck bed, with uncertain glares shooting back and forth at each other. Rachel finally replies back to break the uncertainty in the air, “We are going to your house, Chloe.”

The freckled girl immediately rebukes at the request, making her frustration clear as ice cold glass to hopefully rally the other two girls, “You seriously want to go back to your timeline?” She knows that Chloe’s backyard is where the entry rift was linking it to the other timeline. That is where Rachel originally passed through between the timelines. 

Rachel shoots at the weaker time traveler with an antagonizing glare, “Yes, I said that earlier that I want to go back.” Her voice is harsh, complementing with the fierce hazel eyes.

“Wait, chill...” Max holds up her hands, scoffing in disbelief both at the request and the ill manner being directed toward her, “What is with your tone, now?” She turns around looking at the direction of the apartment that they just left from then craning her head back to Rachel, “I also felt you were using your powers when you went back into the room with your mom.”

Something spells doom with the overwhelming amount of visions and memories that Rachel saw, but it isn’t something that she could confide in anyone. Even with this so called best friend in another timeline who she is starting to see it is just a false impression that is created in her disturbed mind. Feeling herself fading away in this timeline and not in any mood to address Max’s concerns, with scalding breath she replies back, “Fuck off, Max.” She draws her head toward the taller girl, “Chloe, let’s go.”

The bluenette sways her head uneasily, with the unlit cigarette still levering between her tightly pressed lips. Still, she remains silent despite the feud that is occurring between her two best friends.

“Rachel…” Max bites down her jaw, wanting to snap back at her but instead, she asks the question that the girls were wondering, “...what happened? Is your mother alright?” They are still left in the dark with the conversation that Rachel had with her mother.

Rachel looks around, drawing in the concerning eyes from the other girls to extinguish the bitterness within her. She inhales deeply, as the sorrow constricts her seething tone, “My mom has a stomach cancer that is linked to her genes. She didn’t pass it down to me. But basically, the gene means there is a chance that she can develop cancer in her lifetime.” The air is stifling even outside in the open parking lot as the girls inquire in silence. Rachel continues, “It is three years later in my timeline where I’m twenty-two. So that means Mom…” She sniffs her nose, as the gush pumps up past her tight chest, “Mom…”

Kate covers her mouth, muffling through it, “Oh no, Rachel.”

Max’s eyebrows are lowered, gazing deeply into the blacktop of the lot and pondering about the timelines. Wanting to deflect the premonition in the stale air, she mutters quietly, “You don’t know that your mom is also sick.”

Feeling flustered with the nonchalant response that is void of any sympathy from her best friend, Rachel lifts her head up to defend her pessimistic thoughts, “Well, I do know she is born with it. So, it is possible she already have it and it has been eating away at her body.” Soft sobs escape from her lips to temporary halt her fueling irritation, “...Just take me there, Chloe.”

Chloe looks on with helpless quivering eyes, feeling lost and almost speechless on what to even say. She nods silently as it is the only thing that she can do.

“No, Chloe.” Max chides at her best friend’s reaction. Her heart is pumping, feeling the timeline is crumbling all around her, as there are so many things still left to do, “We still have Jefferson and Nathan to deal with.”

Rachel showing hardly any remorse or concern, “You guys can deal with it with this timeline’s Rachel. I don’t care… take them both in jail. Just call the cops. Fuck it.” Her tone is cold, already forgetting about her previous intention of providing aid for the broken Prescott kid. Since the discovery of her mother’s condition, suddenly nothing seems to matter to Rachel anymore, as the walls are closing in quick to snuff out what’s left of her sanity.

Feeling a whirlwind in her head like she is getting swept closer and closer to the dark abyss of this timeline just to be stranded all alone. Max darts her head between Kate and Chloe, hoping to get some assistance. Instead, the two girls are silent and uncertain of what to even exchange in the situation. Max fends for herself in a sardonic tone, “Oh, the police will surely listen to us teenagers that we have time powers. That is enough evidence to take down a renowned photographer and the son of the richest family in town.”

“Max…” Rachel takes a gentle step forward, trying to remain at ease. “Your mother and father died. You said you went and saw their bodies.” The paleness engulfs into the freckled girl’s face, reminding her of all the tragedies that she had to witness. Kate winces, as she also saw the bodies with the brunette in the previous timeline as well as witnessing Max’s mental breakdown. Rachel notes the faltering expressions and continues, “I have only my mother left. Could you please honor this request?”

Rachel’s eyes are empty, as she turns toward the quiet road that hugs the apartment complex. _There are many things I want to tell you, Max. Like how we are connected with each other, including the Rachel in this timeline. In fact, after seeing that flashback, memory, time jump or whatever it was, it pains me even more to leave you behind. I’m sorry, Max. But I know you don’t care, anyways. All you want is a safe future with you and Chloe._

The brunette crosses her arms, shielding herself from the brief haunting thought about the deaths of her parent that still sends a genuine chilling sting throughout her body, even if it was a different timeline. Unable to say anything else at the moment to reject Rachel’s request, she turns to Chloe, nodding her head.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Stillwell Avenue

#### March 21th, 2013 5:27 PM

The brakes of the truck squeak to a pleading halt, stopping right behind a sedan in rush hour on one of the largest and busiest road in the town. The seating arrangement with the four girls is similar to earlier in the afternoon. Instead, Rachel is swapped with Kate and the photographer being closest to the driver in the middle seat. Rachel, who has a rather ominous aura since departing from her mother’s apartment has the entire passenger seat to herself.

From the middle seat, Max leans her body forward to gaze out of the passenger’s window of the stopped truck. Blurring images of the vehicles in the other lanes that alternate between passing by and getting passed with the varying traffic speed. Her blue eyes follow steadily on a mussed old woman on the sidewalk whose timeworn stride is keeping up with Chloe’s slowed truck. The dolly that is overflowed with filled grocery bags is dragged sluggishly behind her.

 _Just how much of this world have we changed? Is that lady walking the very exact path at this specific time in the other timelines? With the exact same groceries in the exact same bags?_ The aged lady turns around for a passing look, giving an indirect glance at Chloe’s rusted truck which is as worn as her faded skin, then returning back forward on her stagnant path. _I guess if she didn’t look back at Chloe’s truck, it would have been another car in the other timelines. A very subtle but still a change that can trickle down in her future._ Max’s eyes dart around the liveliness of the downtown section in Arcadia Bay that gets coated with the warm and gentle golden color of the luminous afternoon sun. _This is going to be the last peaceful moment in this timeline, isn’t it?_ In her peripheral vision, she indirectly looks at the girls beside her that she bonded with today.

Rachel hisses through her clenched jaws, wanting to shove her sneakers against the interior of the truck, “Didn’t think rush hour could be this bad in this town...” She lets out an anguished groan, stiffening her body for a better view ahead of her, “Must have been an accident or a broken red light.”

Chloe squeezes the steering wheel tightly, partly supporting her body on it for a stretch to her aching body, “Chill sistah, we will get there.”

Abruptly, Kate turns over to the blonde time traveler, reaching for her hand to cradle it gently. With undulating amount of distress in her tone, “Rachel, what I said earlier about promising to help out with your mother is true. I’m going to find a job once everything settles down.” She casts a desperate attempt, trying to reel this girl to stay in this timeline with her.

Rachel follows down to the warm and tender touch from Kate but still feeling flustered. “I don’t care what goes on in this timeline, anymore. I need to see my real mom.” Her shoulders shudder at her response, feeling her frustrations are fueling her deathly cold thoughts.

Kate pushes hard through the lump in her stammering throat, “I-I…” She squeezes her hand that is interlocked with Rachel, “I don’t want you to go back.” Their hazel eyes gaze deeply into each other, for a quick warm reminder of earlier today when everything seemed perfect. She continues, “You’re right… I am selfish.” Her spoken truth extinguishes some of the boldness in her face, “Not able to know what may happen to you…” She holds her tongue for a moment as her empty eyes are glimmering from the sunlight reflecting off the buildings on this block. “...and also if I could have done anything more to save you…”

Kate’s honest but touching words dilute some of the bitterness within Rachel’s heart. Chloe sneaks a glance to examine the warm eyes of the person that she loves. Kate is someone that Chloe hardly even know. Yet, Rachel shares a captivated look with this very special person.

While time travel is one of the explanations to this, it isn’t something the punk can stomach very well. The bluenette’s eyes cover away staring at the traffic jam in front of her, becoming increasingly irritated and neglected. She scoffs, “Alright… what the fuck has been going on between you two?” Her blue nails claw into the steering wheel, in a fruitless attempt to drain out the seething resentment in her, “I’ve known Rachel for over two years and you two…” A fake laughter spills out her lips, “...only known each other for less than a fucking day.” Feeling full of bitterness that even a religious girl like Kate could easily win Rachel’s heart. In addition, giving more and more troubling thoughts with Chloe’s friendship with the beautiful model.

For now, Chloe resists making any truly condescending remarks toward the pure and conservative church girl for bonding with the blonde time traveler, letting the short silence to give her twisted mind a necessary moment.

Rachel leans forward, making eye contact with the jealous bluenette in the driver’s seat, “Chloe, everything is just fucked up with these time travel powers.” She boldly justifies the growing bond between her and Kate.

Chloe bites her lower lip, then exhaling boiling breath through her teeth, “You’re right, everything is fucked up to hell. I’ve been holding it in. I really tried! But I’ve been fucking dying to talk to…” Her face twitches, causing her volume to crash, “...the other Rachel. The one that I’ve actually been with for this whole fucking time. We would get high in my room, mess around on the beach and in the junkyard…” Her eyebrows lower, “Everywhere… We fucking ruled this town.” Chloe casts a quick glance over at Rachel, “I want to have a real heart to heart talk with her. And what...” She exhales sharply, “... everything we have been doing means to each other.”

Rachel nods solemnly, “You will get to talk to her soon. Once I go back to my timeline, she will take over this body again.” 

Kate shakes her head, again feeling hopeless and disheartened. Wanting to hold onto this person that she cares about but slowly their bond is slipping away.

Max finally breaks her silence, “No, we can’t…” She groans loudly, letting everyone know of her irritation with how the conversations are going. “Fuck, this is so stupid.” She brushes her fingers through her short hair, yanking any slightly tangled hair in exasperation, “We are sidetracking too much when we are supposed to be dealing with Jefferson.”

The blonde time traveler’s tone mirrors in frustration as well, “You said David was able to take down Jefferson?”

Feeling her remaining options are little to nonexistence, Max explodes her built up anger, “David kicked a fucking table at Jefferson to try and take him down. Then, Mark shot him to death.” She shakes her head in disbelief, “He is an ex-soldier armed with a gun but he couldn’t even take down a photography teacher that is only armed with a tripod!” She grips her right hand in the air, “I had to use my powers so many times to save David until he fucking got it right.” She clenches her fist for a moment, “Or rather, I had to yank down an equipment to distract Jefferson so David could even stand a damn chance.” She turns to the blonde girl with a stern face, “Rachel, I hate to say this but I think we will need to rely on your powers for backup.” She puffs out an exhale, “In case, things do not go well with Jefferson or Nathan, we need your rewind powers.”

Rachel tries to remain composed, trying to draw any remaining sympathy from her dear best friend, “Max, my actual body is hurting every time I use my powers here. I need to get back to my timeline before I fucking bleed to death. And, I can also deliver the message to my mother about her condition.”

“And then what? I thought you didn’t want to use your time powers anymore in your timeline? You said you wanted to finally accept fate and actually move forward in life.” Max furrows her eyebrows, unable to dig up any empathy, “What if your mother is already in Stage III or IV with her cancer?”

Feeling the last thread of sanity is about to burn away in her mind, Rachel snarls back, “Well, I can’t just fucking give up, can I? Even if the chance is five percent, it is still a shot for my mother to live.” She balls her hands into a fist, “I want to be by her side.”

Max rolls her eyes, shaking her head, “What if you are already dead in your timeline from bleeding out? Then, your mother is just going to suffer if she loses her only daughter as well.” Her finger glides down to her left wrist, making a gesture and reminder of Rachel’s self-mutilations.

Rachel digs her fingers into her jeans, resisting from slapping this ungrateful girl, “Fuck you, Max. If it was your own mother, you would do the same thing.”

“Uhhh…” Max drags out her voice, “No, I wouldn’t. I would stay in this timeline where my mother is safe and her illness is way more under control. I wouldn’t even consider going back to your awful timeline. That’s so dumb.” 

The normally reserved girl has developed over the past week. Being a hopeless spectator to tragedies along with all the events that led up to it but unable to do anything about it with her powers. Whether it is cowering down onto her jeans in the cold bathroom floor and hearing Chloe repeating her final lines before getting fatally shot by Nathan or getting that final text message from her mother before the car accident. Her bold but yet crumbling mind cannot take it anymore. She will no longer allow any of this. She will not risk this future when the apprehensive signs are there. Even if she has to become a self-seeking person in order to obtain what she wants.

On the other side, the rage builds up inside Rachel with the churning tension between the time travelers. Feeling resentful from the degrading words from Max who is supposed to be supportive and caring. But Rachel is starting to realize that it was all just a mask. The blonde defends her idea about going back to her timeline, “Easy for you to say… but I grew up in that timeline with a very hard working mother that loved me. Maxine...” Saying her name chokes up her echoing voice for a moment. “...The one I loved and grew up with is there as well.”

Max scoffs with soft laughter. _God, she is so stupid!_ Continuing with a mocking manner, “You don’t _have_ Maxine, anymore. That ship has sailed and you said it.”

Rachel crashes her fist hard against the glove compartment of the truck that saps out all the sound from the already still truck, “Shut it, Max! You’re a coward! Any signs of conflict, you’re going to go whimper away into another timeline.” Her hazel eyes dart to the silent bluenette on the other side of Max. “Would you ever leave Chloe behind? If you had the choice, which Chloe would you bring into your timeline? The Chloe where you spent that week long adventure with where you were trying to find out about Rachel’s disappearance with your seemingly invincible time powers?” Rachel creases her bold eyebrows, “Or the Chloe that is right there?” She points at the quiet punk, “...The one right beside you. Which one would you pick?” She glares at the brunette, daring her to even squeak a single word.

Max shrinks her body closer to the seat, unable to look away from the scalding eyes of the blonde but also unable to seek comfort in the ocean blue eyes of her childhood friend. 

Rachel continues relentlessly, “I bet if you had the choice, you would choose the one you spent a week with… because Rachel is dead in that timeline and you can have your selfish paws all over your beloved friend that you abandoned for five years.”

Chloe presses her thin lips together, feeling a shuddering that wrings up from her shoulders and constricting her neck. “Max…” Her faded voice is barely louder than a whisper. Feeling her place to be absolutely worthless in the perspective of these two girls that mean the world to her.

Max wants to speak back to defend herself but her crushing thoughts of guilt squeeze her tongue in place and too stubborn to let go of it.

Rachel returns her voice back to a normal volume but still stern, “In that other timeline, you overdosed a disabled Chloe with morphine to put her out of her misery.” Her eyebrows arch, “And boy, the Max that will take back control of her body after you leaving it will have to live with the murder of her own best friend that she didn’t commit for the rest of her life.” She tips her nose at Chloe, “While you get to relax with your healthy best friend right here. Dumb selfish bitch. Don’t you dare tell me what the fuck you would do.”

Kate turns her body around to face the troubled girl and also trying to shield her from the onslaught of Rachel. The church girl’s voice is soft, not wanting to raise it onto the person that she has been protecting. “Rachel, please…”

Rachel looks at the outline of Kate’s back, already sensing the gentle and kind nature from this girl. However, this irritates Rachel more that an angel like Kate is getting neglected. She continues, “And, don’t get me started on what you have done with Kate...”

The conservative girl creases her eyebrows, shaking her head softly. “Please don’t…” She pleas, wishing for Rachel to not say any more to keep inciting hatred and tension among the girls.

Rachel blinks her eyes slowly, hesitating for a moment on going against the wishes of this kind-hearted person. Her eyes drift to the side, staring blankly through the back window of the truck that is covered in a thin sheet of dirt that partially obscures the view of the traffic behind them. She drapes her head down, squeezing her eyes, knowing she is going to begin this descent with her relationship with this new friend. “Kate really wanted to be your best friend after Chloe’s death. She genuinely wanted to help you and be by your side to get through all of the hard times.” She swirls her finger around, “But now time travel shit happened and you got your beloved Chloe back. So now, she is basically worthless in your eyes.”

Max’s lower jaw drop at the incredulous statement, her fists clenching tightly, digging her nails into the fleshy palm. _Un-fucking-believable… this… ugh!_ She snarls back, “Kate isn’t worthless to me. I appreciate what-”

Rachel rolls her eyes, then crashing back into her seat with loud thump, “You’re not fooling me.” She grumbles, staring off into the window to avoid further eye contact and finally conceding her verbal abuse.

Max also crashes herself into the seat with crossed arms, as both Kate and Chloe gives a comforting but nervous glance to try and invigorate the brunette with some silent support. But instead the freckled girl unable to keep still, squirming with anger and wanting to lash back at this person that should have been dead.

Her seething blood courses through the blood vessels in her eyes, resonating out of it to distort her vision with a gleaming haze. _Gosh! Rachel is so stupid! Doesn’t matter which timeline she is. Everything was better when it was just me and Chloe! And, no wonder she is dea-_

A deafening rumble crashes through the truck. Max’s head jolts, scanning around quickly but realizing there isn’t an actual car collision as the girls have no reactions to it. A swirling line of shadowy figures whirls around her, seemingly inching closer to trap and choke her. But the bodies suddenly become blended with the blanket of darkness that stretches from one end to the other. Both Kate and Chloe are reduced to flickering apparitions that quickly vanish into the abyss. Only Rachel’s brooding presence remains who is blurred with a glowing crimson. Combined with her stern and cold shoulder it almost looks like her anger is being radiated out into a form of ruby hellish energy, lighting up this void.

_I only see Rachel… She is the only one I can see._

The stubborn girl draws away from the raging demon, despite being the only form of recognizable life in the desolate darkness. Her eyes begin feeling heavy and weighing down so much that she can barely keep them open. Above her, she sees a trail of golden heavenly orbs that dangles in the air. Their ominous glows warp like a burst of nova stretching to its ends. Her eyes flutter like the wings of a butterfly, as everything in her sight seems to doubled and displace itself in the muddled haze.

Her vision begins to strengthen slowly but her eyelids get progressively heavier trying to bury her swollen eyes permanently. Her ears twitch, hearing the soothing pattering of the raindrops onto the window. The room surges into a ghostly white for a split second before returning back to the welcoming darkness.

_I’m back in my dorm in Blackwell. What the hell is going on?_

A muffled voice from the fathomless depths stir into her soul, “Max, are you okay?”

The darkness vanishes as a strong sting sails up to Max’s chest, causing her body to jerk forward with an igniting sensation that cooks her fragile heart alive. Her dull gasp is sealed safely behind her closed lips for now as her body feels like it is rejecting to something that is unknown. Like all the timelines that she has fought hard for but didn’t even matter in the bitter end.

“Oh shit…” Chloe holds down the brake pedal firmly behind the ongoing slowed traffic, reaching her hand to comb the struggling brunette’s back. “Kate, open the glove compartment. There should be some brown paper bags.” The car behind her honks because Chloe’s truck isn’t pulling close enough to the car in front of her. “Fuck off!” The comforting hand that was on Max’s back sails up into a middle finger.

Kate quickly obeys the order, leaning in front of the silent Rachel to pry open the rickety glove compartment. She spots the bag and quickly fumbles in between her fingers to open it and handing it over to the sick girl.

Max holds onto the bag, hovering her damp head over it to let her body slowly collects itself with this reality. She doesn’t even have time to think about what she just experienced as the throbbing pain of discomfort cannot make up its mind of crawling out of her throat or staying nestled to continue to immolate away at her chest. 

A few repeated wet and empty gags to lure the pain closer to the edge, feeling the streaks of blazing acid that are skipping up to her throat. Finally, it successfully climbs up to the top, gurgling out of her mouth to be expelled and collected into the sturdy bag.

The three girls eye on helplessly on the fatigued time traveler, giving her a moment. The moist and foul scent fills the cabin of the truck but doesn’t disturb anyone one bit. Through the putrid vomiting sounds, Chloe mutters gently, “Let it all out… it’ll feel better.” She darts her eyes around her surroundings, seeing the traffic is clearing up ahead. “Should I pull over?”

“Mmm…” Max shakes her draped head, mumbling loud enough through her wet lips to signal the bluenette to keep driving, despite not at all wanting to reach to the destination of Chloe’s house.

“There are some napkins in there…” Chloe points again at the glove compartment.

Rachel opens it this time before Kate does. She grabs a few sheets of napkin then leans in to get close to her best friend in pain. Her tone is filling with anxiety, “I… felt your powers.” Max pulls her head out, still breathing heavily almost like she is hyperventilating. Rachel wipes a gleaming and viscous trail of vomit on Max’s chin with the napkin, “Are you okay? Are you seeing things?”

Rachel’s words feel empty to Max as the brunette gazes deeply ahead through the windshield, feeling a glowing bloom rising to her face. The pain isn’t from her sore stomach or the vomiting. Everything just seems perfectly still and empty around her, like not a single worry left in this world. Or this timeline. Or this dream.

Her eyes flutter, tapping her eyelashes together repeatedly feeling the numbness trickling and painting across the skin of her body. Pupils are dilating and the scene washes away to the familiar white color of her Seattle home, prying her away again from reality.

The late pale afternoon sun weaves through the blinds of the living room as her own mother stands in front of her. “My beautiful princess…” Vanessa snaps the picture and the accompanying whirling of the motor that spits out the pale picture from the Polaroid. She places both the photo and the camera on the coffee table, then returning her admiring stare at her own daughter. She covers her lips with her knuckles to partially muffle her soft whimpering of joy. Her eyebrows lowered with her eyes almost welling up, “Gosh, Carson is going to be blown away with how beautiful you look. I knew the pink color was the right call.”

Max smiles proudly at the gorgeous pink prom dress that she is wearing along with the beautiful slightly curled hair that falls close to her shoulders.

“Hmph…” Ryan casts a disapproval snort, taking a few steps toward his daughter, “I still think it shows too much... This Carson is going to be blown away by my fist if he tries anything...”

The daughter giggles in embarrassment, crossing her arms to find some security on her shorter dress that is more revealing than she is normally comfortable with.

“Ryan, stop it…” Vanessa paces toward her husband giving him a quick shove from towering right next to her poor daughter, “Let our little girl have her fun. She deserves it so much!” She winks at Max then returning back to Ryan, “Just imagine the moves you used on me when you first met me…”

Ryan lowers his eyebrows, tipping his head up to the ceiling for a quick ponder about his first meeting with Vanessa. Then, he lowers it back down to his daughter, already jumping to an abrupt conclusion, “Oh no no no... I’m not letting Max go anymore.”

“Oh stop it, honey…” Vanessa gives a single arm hug with Ryan. Then with her other arm, she wraps around her daughter, uniting them all together.

“You guys are too much…” The freckled girl squeezes her eyes closed, grinning at her two loving parents.

Suddenly, everything flickers quickly and moving rapidly as the dawn has fallen with the night settling in, leaving the living room to be filled with an artificial glow from the floor lamp and no longer illuminated by the sun. Max sits in an adjacent connected room in a chair. A jacket drapes on her exposed shoulders as the cool evening demands for the warmth. Right beside Max is her mother, who has draped her head onto Max’s jacket and also holding her daughter’s hand dearly.

Max gazes out the window into the dreary night, seeing the bright wraith-silver halo that hangs in the middle of the dead sea. The tendrils of the moon blanch onto the red and swollen eyes of the freckled girl. Max cranes her head gazing back into the well-lit living room that her father is standing around in silence.

Max’s father looks at his watch then whispering quietly in the breathless house. “It is eight o'clock already.” He announces the time, “What should we do, now?” Vanessa pulls up her head, revealing that her eyes are also gleaming with tears. She gives a close glance at her heartbroken daughter who just have been abandoned in prom. Her prom date never showed up, called or even picked up his phone. Perhaps, she should have known that this was too good to be true... Like many things in life.

Max’s lips shudder, feeling there are no more tears left to shed from her sore eyes. Her head wavers, accepting the truth that she can never find real lasting happiness with other people. Her hope and expectation may sail high, but it can be taken away in the next flickering moment. All of this… is caused by her. All the mistakes she has made will never go away. No one cares if you have social anxiety or an illness, they will never forget. It cannot ever be erased. For now, she has to hold onto whoever she can, like her beloved father and mother.

She exhales unsteadily and the faded golden color of the living room dissipates into a ghostly white. She lifts up her heavy head as the smell of cold death overwhelms her nostrils in this new place. In front of her, is a glass window that collects her misty warm breaths. On the other side, is a room with two long aluminum tables. The lifeless bodies of Vanessa and Ryan lie on top of the tables, with long white towels to cover their bodies.

On the cabinet is a hanger that hangs a light orchid-colored dress, that is worn and spotted with dried blood. The same one that Vanessa wore when she died in the car accident. The same one she wore wandering aimlessly like a lost soul on that dark winding highway as an apparition. 

The loud and heavy pulse in her throat seemingly constricts all the air through it, seeing her deceased parents again. Her head tilts to the right, seeing the familiar Officer Berry who is staring solemnly at the window. As he is the one that guided Max through the basement of the police station to the viewing of the bodies of Ryan and Vanessa.

The freckled girl lets out a distressing and shrill wail, feeling even more sorrow than even when she first saw their bodies for the first time. Her head flinches to the other side, seeing it is just the lone empty derelict hallway of the basement level. She hangs her lifeless head there for a moment, as an exhale escapes from her cold lungs.

_Kate... isn’t there with me..._

A frozen breeze drifts off gently on her numbing skin as everything lies motionless to a perfect soothing silence. Her faded breaths are the only thing that is audible as it caresses the deathly cold window. The tendons that bind her muscles stand firmly against her pale skin. And again, feeling all alone. And again, being left behind by everyone that loved her.

Suddenly, a ghostly hand emerges from beyond the window, grabbing her, “Max!…” Jolting the brunette back to reality in Chloe’s truck. Rachel asks, “Are you okay?” Her voice is no longer filled with hatred as she has crawled over Kate’s lap to get in real close to comfort the mental state of her best friend.

Chloe looks over at her with uneasy and distressing eyes, “Max…?” 

Kate, who is now holding the brown bag for Max, looks on with earnest eyes but remaining silent hoping to hear a reassuring reply from the disturbed time traveler.

The confusion weaves into the folds of her brain but it doesn’t draw any reaction into Max. The vivid flashback feels hauntingly real, like memories drowning back into her reality. Her mind is feeling detached from everything, including her current goals and desires. Nothing seems to matter anymore.

_Why is this happening now? Is it because I got upset at Rachel and somehow it is triggering my powers or perhaps my traumatic memories? Is it because she is leaving this timeline and it is going to spell doom for us all?_

_Why am I seeing timelines that I don’t belong in? And also, why wasn’t Kate there with me? I feel like someone is trying to send me a message, telling me I need to keep this timeline no matter what. Or else, something bad is going to happen. I can’t let Rachel go… I need her powers to keep this timeline safe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Sorry for the long delay on this chapter. Originally, I would really have liked to finish both Chapter 29 and 30 by the 1-year anniversary of this story. But doesn’t look like that will happen. So I’m going to treat my Chapter 30 as my “1 year anniversary” chapter even though it is going to be well after the actual date. I’ll probably have some wall of text in the notes section in that chapter. Thanks to Harpu, for offering to do some alpha reading on certain parts of the chapter. I really needed someone else's opinion on many scenes.
> 
> So anyways, an update is that I have been slowing down with the release of the chapters. It is a combination of reasons so I’ll be honest with them. 
> 
> First one is simply writing burnout. I’ve been writing for much much longer than I’ve originally anticipated. I thought I would have given up with this story months ago, but somehow I’m still here. The story has become much more challenging to write than the earlier chapters. Writing over 260k words and spending close to a year, as the writer I grew really attached to “The Twin Moons universe” and emotionally invested with the characters, the world and the journey of the four girls. Strange as it sounds, my own story is kind of my personal “canon” now, as I almost forgot what happens in the game. :P I started with zero writing experience from Chapter 1 and have learned a lot on a personal growth level.
> 
> As you may notice, there are definitely ups and downs. Some fluff/steamy moments and then loads of sad/angst/dark moments. These depressing moments are becoming more taxing for me as I’m more ‘invested’ with the characters. The stakes are raised now. :P I’ll be honest, it does drain a lot out of me. Not to say it didn’t back then, because this whole story has been a rollercoaster for me.
> 
> Second, I am getting way more busy. Not to dive into details, just many things I need to really set aside some time and just focus. With the direction where the story is going combined being burnt out, it isn’t just a simple flip of a switch to hop back and forth… at least mentally.
> 
> Anyways, I just wanted to communicate this to everyone. Do expect a delay on the future chapters.
> 
> So back to the chapter… well… lots of ‘weird stuff’ happened in this chapter. The growing time powers/PTSD of both Max and Rachel are manifesting themselves along with the elevated emotions between the two girls.
> 
> In the game, there are some hints/theories that emotions may trigger/augment Max’s time powers. Feeling the shock when Chloe got shot could have been one. Seeing Kate jump off the roof is another trigger with Max’s frozen time powers. And, possibly after the heated argument and the yearning for the distant past could have triggered the photo hopping ability. I’m not saying that the explanation of it in my story. :P I’m just throwing it out there as it relates with the game.
> 
> There’s a lot of revisiting to earlier parts/mentioned events of the story. Including Chapter 9 and 16, Max’s prom, and some of the past. The supernatural elements in the game included spirit animals and those sorts. I felt like adding some other beliefs in this chapter as well.
> 
> The whole writing saying “confuse the characters but don’t confuse the readers”, I feel I violated it big time on this chapter. :P I wasn’t going to “spell out” everything with the flashbacks, so inherently it is going to be confusing. My intention is to really let the thin out that boundary between a memory/vision/time powers inside Max’s and Rachel’s mind. And, really drive them nuts and their expectations with everything.
> 
> Anyways, cheers everyone. Happy Easter Day. :) Leave a comment/feedback or feel free to ask me anything.


	30. Starless Aeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some heavy themes, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence

#### March 21th, 2013 5:42 PM

The vast clear sky tings with the lukewarm color of the late afternoon sun, with the crests of the hills crowning in a glowing sheet of crimson. Tall fortress of trees reflecting ruby on its leaves, diffusing into a fan of scarlet rays. A quartet of jays is screeching high on the canopy with their orchestra of birdsong resonating in the quiet neighborhood. The earth is approaching to swallow the sun as the light still lingers.

The rusted cream-colored truck halts to a screech on the driveway, expelling out slivers of heat that twist up the cool air. Both doors open in unison as the girls pour out of the truck as their weary legs are in desperate need of a stretch from the longer than expected aching car ride in the downtown traffic. The bluenette guides Max by her waist who is carrying a brown bag containing her own putrid vomit that is induced by the nauseating and disconnected visions. Her lips are still glinting with a sliver of saliva, as she gladly tosses the bag into the trash can that is already parked on the sidewalk and slamming back the lid.

“Max, are you feeling alright?” Chloe carefully slides her hand across the shorter girl’s hoodie jacket.

“Y-yeah…” Max’s voice is rough, as they both head toward the front door, sneaking a glance at Rachel and Kate who are still lingering around by the truck. Difficult to take her eyes off the more potent time traveler, eventually she loses sight of them as the two Arcadia Bay pirates proceed into the house and leaving the other two girls alone.

Rachel has sensed something that has been boiling on Kate’s tongue during the ride, purposely lingering by the truck for their own alone time away from Max and Chloe.

The hair bun girl hears the front door slamming rudely around the corner but perfectly content with the added privacy. She cracks the silence with her exhaustion, “Rachel…”

The beautiful girl drills the nose of her sneaker into the rough pavement, swinging up her head to deliver her full attention, “Yeah, Kate?” This blending moment of tranquility with this special person is much needed after the strained confrontation she had with Max, as well as the dreadful memories that have been withering away her soul.

Kate shuffles the messenger bag, bringing it over her shoulder, “I’m sorry for being selfish. I… just like this…” She twirls her index finger, aiming toward the ground. “I like that we are all together.” She doesn’t want the time traveler to go back to her timeline. Not after all the moments, they have shared in a single day.

Rachel combs her long silky hair, rattling the jay earring, “To be honest, I also like this.” A sunny smile gets forced on her face, given the apprehensive future that looms ahead, “I’m very happy to have met you, Kate.”

The angel is already close to welling with her eyes, “I know I sound whiney but…” She gives a swift kick with her shoe that grazes the surface of the cement, trying to draw her mind away from her clouded vision. “I’ve never lost a friend before. At least someone that I really cared about... So, this is it, huh?” Kate tiptoes her body, extending her heels. “You did all of this for us and now you have to go back? You strained and hurt your body just to bring me into this timeline.” She reaches and lifts Rachel’s left wrist then tracing along the outline of the blue star tattoo with her index finger, the same spot where the time traveler’s wrist has been slashed in her own timeline.

Rachel follows the delicate finger, casting a smile at it. “I didn’t want to leave you behind. And…” She joins her hand with Kate’s, “... I wanted to get to know you. With how you stood by Max’s side no matter what outlandish or crazy shit got thrown at you. Like a guardian angel.” She brushes her own cheek against her long resting hair that is draped on her shoulder. “I could really use someone like you in my timeline.”

Kate wrinkles her eyebrows, curving a smile with her lips, “Maybe you could find me in your timeline?” She tips her nose in the air in a smug expression but it tapers quickly into her rubbing the back of her neck, “Hopefully, I’m not also a boring religious geek, as well.”

Rachel leans in close and tapping her finger gently on Kate’s nose, squeezing out a joyful and cuddly expression from the sweet angel. The time traveler whispers to her, “I will find you.” She slides her finger off the nose, then gently stroke the puffy cheek of the cinnamon roll girl. “ _This_ Rachel chose a different path by resetting everything in her life to save Dad. So, maybe for me…” Her voice stretches thin to ponder for a moment, “...I should not mess with time powers too much and actually move forward with the time. I must accept that Maxine left me and then search for a new beginning… With someone like you.”

Kate presses her lips tightly with a forced smile but puffs adorably her cheeks. “Of course, I rather you be here with me. But…” Her hazel eyes scan away for a moment, then returning with glowing determination. “...I want you to be happy and also be there for your mother.” She lowers her eyes as her smile reflects even brighter. “And, the _Kate Beverly Marsh_ of your timeline will have your back!”

Rachel smiles pleasantly, “Thank you, Kate.” She looks down at her own body, “I’m positive _this_ Rachel will love you as much as I do.”

The church girl shies away, “I’m not entitled to anything. I just hope I can be a friend to her.”

Rachel nods boldly, “You will be more than just a friend.” She reaches around the slightly discouraged girl’s shoulder, projecting some inspiring confidence. “I understand you’re a little shy and it may be difficult to open up to some people. But you have an amazing personality.” She dips her face closer, softening her throat, “You’re very selfless and caring.” Her eyes flash with a wink, “And you’re an adorable and beautiful dork.”

Kate puffs out a laugh through her blooming face, “I don’t know. How a dumb dork like me would compare to all the people that Rachel knows.”

The blonde time traveler leans her body back, flinging her long hair and licking her lips slowly. “Well, you already know a little bit about Rachel…” She opens up her plaid jacket, tugging her finger at the edge of collar toward her shoulder to reveal her black bra strap. Then, her finger travels south sharply to tug down the collar of her white shirt to reveal a glimpse of her bra. “You already know you like her sexy safari lingerie.”

It is a subtle view but the leopard prints bra hugging tightly against the curvy chest of the gorgeous girl is enough to steal a few heartbeats. Kate’s eyes widen with her lips gaping apart instinctively before she sticks out her tongue in embarrassment. 

Rachel holds her finger down for a moment, letting the church girl have a guilty peek onto the delightful patterns. Then she leans in close, whispering softly, “Then you can ask Rachel what does she do with the Busty Bombshell Girls magazines in her drawers.” Her own face cringes instantly unable to even keep a straight face to her own sultry teasing.

Kate gulps her laughter, glowing with embarrassment. Her sly eyes are thinking of a silly response, holding it on the end of her tongue until growing with more confidence to spit it out. She squeezes her eyes closed with a cheery grin, “Because she wants to take a longer shower!” Her face also winces to her own awful reply.

Rachel stifles a strong laugh, amazed that Kate remembers her nonsensical talks during their bonding moment back at the dorm in the early morning. _D’awww… Kate..._

The adorable angel delicately opens her eyes back, “I’ll pry Rachel away from Jefferson and play matchmaker with the right person for her. Hmm...” She tips both her index finger and nose up, suggesting the first candidate that is fitting in her mind. “Megan?” She grabs a loose lock of her own hair to waggle it, imitating the girl’s pigtail hairstyle. Then, she sticks her tongue out, bringing both of her hands hovering over her chest to gesture Megan’s larger chest.

Rachel grins at the silliness from the dork, “Yes! Megan is a nerd with some hot knockers. I do like that.”

“Yeah!” Kate’s eyebrows arch up, “And, then there’s Chloe…” She gestures the punk’s short hair that is parted to the side. Then, the church girl rubs the whole length of her right arm, “Beautiful and rad. Also, she is rocking with a beautiful and amazing tattoo!”

Rachel chuckles, brushing her nose as her smiling is slowly wearing down the muscles on her face, “Yes! Chloe is pretty bad ass.”

“Yup!” Kate exclaims cheerfully. “And, there’s Max.” She grips her right hand, “She is your best friend in another timeline that is also a time traveler that shares your experiences very intimately.” She gestures her hand like she is holding a camera, “And, she is cute and a dorky hipster who is a photographer to complement with you as a model!”

The blonde time traveler nods, “Yeah, that may actually work out.” She takes a deep sigh that slowly expands her rib cages. Gazing deeply into the hazel girl’s eyes, “And…?”

Kate’s eyes widen, “And?” She pouts her lips, pondering for a moment. “I think that’s it.” She fans her hands in a cute dismissive manner, “No scary Frank, Jefferson or Nathan! I only mentioned the ones that have the ‘Kate Beverly Marsh’s Stamp of Approval!’” She strikes the air with a thumbs up.

Rachel grins at the animated girl, “What about Kate Beverly Marsh, herself?”

Kate yelps with bright eyes, stunned from the unexpected reply. “Me?” She asks, looking at her own body. “What do I have? I just have a cinnamon roll on my head,” She pats at the hair bun that is mounted, then she traces her finger along her necklace. “And, I go to church twice a week plus community services.” She wiggles her head, scanning at her entire body and pressing against her chest, “I don’t have big boobs or cool tattoos. And, I’m not hip or cool at all.”

Rachel leans in to brush the hair of Kate, “Yet, you don’t need any of it. You are one beautiful and sweet cinnamon roll.” Her hand travels down to rub the side of the neck and catching onto Kate’s shoulder, “But you should never be pressured to be in any relationship if you don’t want to. And whenever you are ready, the person that is going to be with you will be the luckiest person in this world.”

Kate leans her head to the side, gently clamping onto Rachel’s hand, “I…” She stammers, “I-I’m not sure if I’m even ready for a relationship.” Her chest caves in, “Maybe I do want one subconsciously, but I’m one to be oblivious to my own feelings!” She lets out a dry sigh, “How we are goofing around about finding the perfect match for Rachel. Yet, here you are… right in front of me.” Her heart beats loudly as her body wavers, stepping in place and alternating the shifting of her weight, “I wish I could spend some more time with you.” She buries both of her hands into her chest, “I really loved this.”

The time traveler stares into the sky where the two moons gaze down hopelessly onto the world that lies beneath. The breeze carries swiftly her long hair, “Yeah, me too.”

The church girl withdraws her hands, tucking them underneath her armpits with a tightly closed arms, “When you brought me back with the rewind, did you do it by isolating and preserving my memory? Or, were you actually bringing me over into the new timeline?”

Rachel arches her eyebrows, squishing it inward, “I’m actually not sure how it works like everything else about my powers.” She gazes at her right hand, reflecting for a little bit and realizing something. She draws her head up to meet with the angelic hazel eyes in front of her. “Were you thinking if I could bring you back to my timeline?”

Kate’s eyes sink slightly, “M-maybe… I don’t know...” Her body slumps down as both of her hands seek shelter again on her chest, “I think I’m too big of a coward to witness a brand new world so abruptly. Even when you brought me back six months in this timeline, my brain is still spinning. But…” She scratches the back of her neck. “I really do want to help you somehow.”

The time traveler smiles, “I don’t think I can bring you along like how I can pass between timelines.” She nods gently, still filled with joy, “I appreciate it but it isn’t something you should experience. But even you just considering about it makes me ecstatic. You really are a true guardian angel. That alone just inspires me to keep hanging in there!” She squeezes the church girl’s nose playfully, triggering a giggle from the sweet girl.

Kate draws back, brushing her ticklish nose, “I’m happy at least I can do that for you. But you need to rest your body.” She looks emptily at the blue tattoo on her wrist, “What was Max saying earlier about you were using your powers when you were with your mother?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest.” She glances around the neighborhood, surveying to see if her mind will slip back to something incomprehensible again. “I was traveling through _this_ Rachel’s memory lane. It was very bizarre.” She tucks her hands into her pockets, rocking on her heels. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. But I feel I’m connected with this Rachel more than I originally thought.”

The church girl’s eyebrows pique with curiosity, “Like how so?” Her voice wavers, swaying with unsteadiness, “You’re… kind of… from the past of this Rachel, right?” Uncertain if what she is saying could be in any way, discounting this timeline-hopping Rachel’s existence.

“I’m from the past in the year 2016, which is three years into the future…” Rachel chuckles, “‘Chronologically’ is weird when it comes to time travel.”

Kate sinks her shoulders, “But, you said you always been with Max for your entire life?”

“Yeah, that is what I think, at least. But I’ll be honest, I don’t even remember some details of my past. Almost like my memories are peppered with holes. Maybe because I never really had the need to think about it… until recently. I do remember some things like my relationship with Maxine and her family. But…” She leans back against Chloe’s truck which still radiates with heat from the hood. She crosses her arms, “Something doesn’t feel right. And, I don’t know... The flashbacks I was having seems like a warning about something.”

“Warning you? Like what?” Kate huddles closer, taking a curious glance around the surrounding and then returning back to the time jumper, “You can tell me.”

“What if…” The blonde girl bites her lower lip then puckering it back out, “... _this_ Rachel is really me? But I just don’t know it.”

“ _This_ Rachel?” Kate points deep into the earth, “The one that is best buddy with Chloe? The one that has been avoiding Max?” Her hands fall down to her side with distraught, “The one that ended up with Jefferson?”

“Yeah…” Rachel wets her lips, trying to clarify the immense amount of confusion. “I mean what if I already walked the very same path as _this_ Rachel’s fate… What if I-I’m actually already dead?” She brushes her nose, as the familiar metallic scent reveals itself again. But there isn’t any blood. “I died by the hands of either Jefferson or Nathan…” She scrubs the side of her neck, feeling if there is a phantom wound from the syringe, “I died from the overdose.”

“W-What?! No…” The angel lowers her eyebrows, “You have been going through some crazy experience like jumping into bodies and minds…” Her voice is rising with the increasing levels of tension, “You’re here… right in front of me!” She reaches to cradle both of Rachel’s hands, “Maybe the body’s memories are blending too much with yours. Like some subconscious anxiety?”

Rachel nods lightly, “That’s what I thought. But it starting to feel more and more real…” Her eyes drift downward, recalling some of the triggering nightmares that she saw from the result of seeing her mother earlier, “I saw… mom succumbing to cancer.” She releases Kate’s grip, letting her arms dangle freely in the air, “I was in the hospital. All alone with her in the dark.”

“Oh no…” Kate presses both of her hands into her heart, “Maybe it could have been some other sickness?” She shakes her head, realizing her suggestion doesn’t offer any solace, “But you said _this_ Rachel went back in time to save _just_ her father?”

The time traveler brushes her nose again, “I know… it is all very confusing. My powers are driving me to the brinks of insanity. Destroying what to even expect anymore.” She skims her forehead with the back of her hand, “But something or someone tipped off to my mother about her cancer in this timeline. And with her being separated and living all alone, I feel it is too much of a coincidence. She claims my father may have suggested a check-up but I don’t buy it entirely.” She hunches her shoulders down, burying her eyes closed. “Maybe this Rachel went back in time _again_. Or maybe even tipping it off early didn’t do enough…” Her voice stretches with despair, “...she is still going to die.”

A stinging chill reverberates into Kate’s body, as she points her finger down at the driveway again. “So, either in your own timeline’s future or possibly _this_ timeline’s future, your mother will eventually pass away from her illness?” She buries her face into her hands, “This is crazy…”

Rachel sniffs her nose, “I know. It’s just a sign that us time travelers, must be shredding apart the threads of time, creating an infinite amount of timelines with our powers.” Her head dips suddenly, sending her long hair to flop downward, “...Yet, we still cannot get it right.” A disconcerting sigh escapes from her lips, “There is no single timeline that can ever satisfy all of our wants. We keep refusing to accept the consequences. The more people we love, the harder it gets.” Her eyes look deeply into the other hazel eyes, “Kate, if I was to find you in my timeline but for some reasons, you were in… some unfortunate situation. I think I would be tempted to use my powers to save you.” She casts out another sigh of disappointment, “I mean I already did it with Chloe when I first met her.”

Kate shudders her head, filling her lungs with suffocating air before expelling it out of her system, “I can’t even imagine how much of a burden this is putting on your mind, Rachel. I wish I could help you, somehow.”

“It’s alright.” The time traveler sways her body, crossing her arms securely around her body, “I also saw things that thisRachel shouldn’t even see…” She wets her lips, “Like her own death…”

The church girl’s eyebrows raise, “What?”

Rachel corrects itself, “Not exactly her own death but it was… the most bizarre vision. I was choking… and I could barely even breathe at all. Like I was poisoned or something.” Her hands snug around her neck as she imagines the bloodied scene in the park where she was with the girls, “I saw Chloe with a bloodied wound on her stomach… and Max…” She shudders, as she was by far the most mysterious one. Her eyebrows lower as many possible answers race into her mind, but none of them is anything Rachel wants to even consider to be the correct one. “Max didn’t show me her face but she was bleeding… _a lot_.” She shakes her head, “We were all dead and in hell.”

Kate takes a step back, wrapping her arms around her frigid body, with beads of sweat forming on her smooth skin, “What?!” Her eyes quiver slightly, reflecting with terror, “Rachel, you said you saw visions of the future. Like a tornado… and Max taking her own life.” She sighs with exasperation, “Maybe these are just _possible_ premonitions but not actually real?”

The blonde time travel stares emptily into the pale garage door which is lightly covered with a film of tan-colored grime. “What if… they are very real? Like they actually did happen?” Her eyes lower, feeling the dread twisting down her throat, “But my soul is just rejecting it…? Like I’m looping over and over and wandering through timelines and still unable to find the answers.”

The hair bun girl tugs off a loose lock of hair, “Rachel… No… No, I’m not going to believe this…” She presses her lips tightly, wanting to yank on her own hair from the tremendous amount of stress churning in her head, “You’re just feeling detached because you’re not originally from this timeline.” She points behind her in the direction of the backyard, “You will have a real home when you go back… No one is dead right now.”

Rachel’s deathly eyes sail toward Kate, recalling the question she asked the Christian angel back on the bus ride to Chloe’s house. “So, when I asked you what happens when we die…” She scans down at her own body, “...is this it?” She holds out her right hand weakly, letting her powers slowly trickle out of her fingertips. “At least a time traveler that has the ability to undo the deaths of people… perhaps even her own death. When I passed through timelines, I also drifted around like a ghost.” Her eyes sweep around the neighborhood, almost wondering if anything is real anymore. She asks the burning question for herself, “But if I’m dead, why am I still here? Is my soul still restless?”

Kate’s face is gushing with anxiety. “This is… too crazy, Rachel.” She shakes her head, swinging loose and disarrayed hair around, “I’m not going to accept this.” She sweeps both of her arms laterally.

Rachel blinks her burning eyes, then pushes out a forced and swift smile, “I’m sorry, Kate.” She points at the supportive girl, “You’re right, it is crazy.” She leans back up from the truck, looking toward the front door of the house, “Let’s get going, then?” Her tone resets back but acknowledging that no one will ever listen to her insanity just like how she was growing up.

Kate is silent for a moment and cradles Rachel’s hand. “I’m not…” Her words are quivering but slowly dripping out, “...ignoring you, Rachel. I just… don’t know what to believe anymore.” Her eyes dart around nervously, “You can always… _drift_ back to me… No matter what timelines you are in, okay?” Her voice continues to be solemn, “You’re alive, Rachel… You’re alive…” She squeezes the warm time traveler’s hand, “How can you be dead if I’m holding your hands? This very moment that you’re sharing with me… Max… and Chloe…” She nods softly, “It is real… You got it?”

Rachel looks down silently, losing herself in the warm touch of this beautiful angel. A wave of heat sails from her hand but it quickly get dispersed from the arctic and lifeless void in her body. There is a brief moment of silence, as the whispers of the leaves flailing bravely against the gust are the only comforting environmental trait that pierces the haunting aura that engulfs the driveway.

Kate lowers her eyes, feeling despondent, “Please say something…” Her voice is cracking against the sorrow that is cursing into her body. “Say anything…”

Rachel’s voice is soft, “This is a loop, isn’t it?” Her head sails upward, looking at the dying light from the sky above them, “What we are doing isn’t enough. Saving Chloe isn’t enough.” Her eyes blink slowly, feeling the fatigue clawing into her body, “Capturing Jefferson will not be enough. And, saving both Dad and Mom isn’t enough.”

Kate pinches her eyebrows together, “W-what do you mean?”

Rachel’s head lowers back down sluggishly, “There are two time-travelers here. If we keep using our time travel powers… And, we keep forgetting our mistakes of the past…” She looks back at the front door, where her best friend resides, “We will always be in a loop in reliving our mistakes with our blind and selfish motives.”

Kate bites the inside of her lips, as she is starting to realize what she has to do, “That’s why we have to be together…” She knows she can’t be in denial with everything, no matter how outlandish it may sound. Not anymore. Max confided to her with her time powers, which at the time seems like the most ridiculous thing she has ever heard. Even though she is still wildly bemused, Kate knows she must be supportive. Her signature gentle voice is coming back, “That’s why you and Max have to be together.”

Feeling the swelling of her eyes coming, Rachel pushes through her tightening throat, “I know going back to my timeline may be the wrong path…” She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly, “But I want to be back home just to see my mother. No matter what. Even if I risk succumbing to my wounds.” She sniffs her nose, recalling the grim topic that her mother mentioned in their conversation, “My mom said there was a belief when someone takes their own life, their soul will live on eternally with remorse. Repeating their actions over and over until they finally realize their actions…” She holds out her right hand, examining it, “...And, if you add time travel powers to that equation...” With her right fingers, she brushes her left wrist, “Oh wells.” She pushes out the sarcasm, “...maybe in the next loop I will learn my mistake.”

Kate lifts Rachel’s wrist, pressing her gentle lips to kiss it, “I’m here. This darn dummy… bible thumper will be the one to break this cursed loop.” Her eyes lighten with a wink, trying to put on a playful act even if the gloom continues to eat away at her. “Maybe Max’s powers manifested later than yours. But…” She points at the earth of this world, “...I still feel this is the first time there are two time travelers united together in a single timeline. You broke out of Max’s eternal hell. And Max is going to do the exact same with yours. You guys are each other’s true angel in time. Both Chloe and I are going to support you guys all the way!” She steps in, pressing her body close and giving a jab in the air, “You got that?”

Rachel smiles from the warmth that is slowly melting the frozen ice in her body, “I don’t know if Max would ever—”

Kate nods firmly and interrupting, “She will. She is equally confused with everything as you are. What she went through… her emotions… and feelings…” She brings Rachel’s hand up to her chest, kissing it again, “But Max has a great heart and I know she will make the right decision in the end.”

Rachel grins, slowly getting some threads of confidence back into her, “Thanks, Kate. I appreciate it. But...” She whispers to her, “...please don’t tell Max any of these crazy things, okay? I still don’t want her freaking out on my blind and self-loathing speculations.”

Kate nods with her promise, “Okay…” 

Rachel tucks her hands in her pocket, dipping her chin to her upper chest. A vibration shudders through the girl’s jeans, drawing their attention. Rachel wraps the red thermos that has the tea given by her mother, close to her body, as she digs into her pocket to pull out her phone. “Oh, it’s Audrey…” Her eyebrows wrinkle at the name of Jefferson’s daughter, “Should I…?”

Kate nods slowly, “Your location sharing is off. I think it should be fine.” She crosses her arms over her body, feeling the rising shard of insecurity. “Just be careful what you say. Then again, even if he shows up...” She straightens her body, clenching her fists and letting a cute intimidating grunt. “Hmph! I’ll show him!”

The gorgeous model chuckles, wanting to pinch the cheeks of the adorable girl in front of her. But before the call can go to voicemail, she quickly answers the phone, “Hey Audrey.”

“Sissy! Where are you?” The little girl shouts on the other line that Rachel cringes from the ringing in her ear. Audrey continues, “I looked at the map and it showed you are grayed out!”

“Hey…” Rachel quickly cooks up an excuse for disabling her location sharing, “I’ve been in the gymnasium at the school. The GPS was messing up and it kept draining my phone’s battery, so I had to disable it.”

“Oh… Darn…” Audrey expresses disappointment but her bubbly voice is still youthful and full of energy, “I really like seeing where you are, especially when I’m home alone, again.”

“You’re home alone…?”

“Yeah, Dad says he’s busy tonight. He yelled at me…” The little girl puffs out some frustration, “...Don’t be mad at me, but I shared him where you were earlier today. I know you told me to never tell him where you are.”

_So, Jefferson was demanding to know where I was. Then he relayed it to Nathan. But… what’s done is done. Her dad is a psycho and I’m sure she tried her best to oppose him._

Rachel presses her lips tightly, biting down her jaws. The apologetic tone of the little girl draws sympathy to the time traveler, “It’s okay, Audrey.” Her body turns around to see a fierce red pickup truck swooshing by. Her hazel eyes scan around the small handful of parked cars around the neighborhood, feeling a trembling sensation of paranoia creeping over her body. “But don’t tell him anymore, okay?”

“I won’t, I promise! I’ll scream at him this time! And, I won’t bug you anymore about where you have been.” The girl makes the promise over the phone. “He was so mad and it scared me. I couldn’t even lie to him.” She groans at her own incompetence.

“He was angry, huh?” Rachel’s eyes meet with the surprised hazel eyes of Kate.

“Yeah, he was.” The little girl asks, “Are you mad at Dad?”

“I’m not, Audrey.” Her eyes scan the street again, heat is slowly expelling out of her skin, “But let’s talk about something else?”

“Mmm… alright…” The little girl doesn’t seem at all convinced but her tone changes drastically as ordered by her older sister-figure, “Hey! I got a star in all of the Mirror Cups in Mario Kart. Do you know what that means?”

“Erm… I’m not sure?”

“Sissy! I unlocked Rosalina!” The girl cheers in abundance of excitement, “Yayyy…!” She fills in the void in the air with her own enthusiasm. 

“Yayyyy… that’s awesome, Audrey!” Rachel mimics her cheeriness, having absolutely no idea what she is talking about other than probably some unlocks in a video game. But just the sweet tone of the little girl is more than enough to shatter the confusion.

“She is so cool! Next time you come over, I’ll let you play her!” The sunny smile from the little girl can be felt through the call, “When are you coming over? Can you come over now? We can play together!”

“Audrey, I would love to...” Rachel’s eyes drift over to Kate, pouting her lips, “But I have something I need to do right now.”

“Aww, darn… It’s okay. I miss you already, Rachel.”

“I will see you again.” Her voice tapers off to a short trailing silence. Kate grabs Rachel’s free hand, interlocking with her fingers, giving some inspiring confidence. Rachel gazes deeply into the angel’s eyes, feeling a sting of faded hope boiling weakly in her body. She repeats herself, “...I’ll see you again, Audrey. I miss you, but I have to go right now.”

Audrey can sense the dwindling strength of the person she sees as her sister. She acknowledges it, trying to be joyful, “We will see each other soon! Have fun, Rachel!”

The time traveler’s voice is weak, “Bye sweetie…” She slowly pulls the phone away, ending the call. She looks down at the interlocked fingers, then to the beautiful girl in front of her, “Thanks, Kate.”

“No problem. How did it go?”

Rachel hesitates for a moment. _Jefferson and Nathan must have been preparing to kidnap Megan tonight but perhaps my actions from last night at Jefferson’s place and earlier today at school could have disturbed him._ “Audrey was the one that told Jefferson.”

The church girl presses her lips tightly, stiffening her spine. “Yeah…” Everyone already knew but she still trying to remain calm, not to incite any more grief into the time traveler. “It’s fine. I don’t think it is a big deal.” She arches her chest, putting on her power stance. Silently, communicating that she is not afraid of them anymore. “I was thinking about this timeline’s Rachel must have been like a big sister to Audrey.”

The model nods her head, “Yeah, she calls me ‘Sissy’.” The nickname draws a puff of laughter.

“Aww…” Kate coos in delight, “That is adorable!” She lets out a long sigh, “I wonder what Rachel will think of me.”

Rachel crosses her arm, leaning back on the hood of the truck, slightly more relaxed again, “Like what I said earlier, I have no doubts that she will fall in love with you.”

The pure angel swings her arms behind her body and tucking it out of sight, “I don’t know. She’s into people like Frank and Jefferson. Maybe even Megan and Chloe.” She rocks her body, back and forth, “People that are cool. And, more experienced in…” She brings her fingers in the air, making a quotation marks gesture, “...lovey dovey things.”

“Lovey dovey things?” Rachel snickers at the silly words, “Like... sexy times?”

Kate reveals her arms, swinging them back out, “Yes! The things that I’m utterly clueless and confused about. I’m a prude that runs an abstinence club.” She grins, rubbing the back of her neck in a mixture of pride and shame, “She wouldn’t want a killjoy like me, anyways.”

Rachel shrugs her shoulders, “You’re no killjoy. Not one bit. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve also never really done those type of things either, Kate. At least, what I would say _officially_. Don’t feel bad about it.” She waves her index finger toward the hair bun girl, “Besides, we had some moments together. You are way more affectionate than you think.” She teases with a smile.

Kate puckers her lips, “Pfft… I’m sure Rachel would be like… ‘Oh kissing? I did that back when I was a young teenager.’” Her eyebrows furrow into a playful angry look, “‘I want real adult things!’” She gusts out a sigh, gazing back at Rachel, “You and Max… erm… the one in your timeline never tried… anything?” She pokes both of her index fingers together nervously, uncertain if she is prying too much into personal matters. “You don’t have to share if you don’t want to.”

Rachel shrinks her body, “We did… but it always ‘ _we were drunk’_ -type situation. It is not very glorious at all, especially how smashed we were.” She leans her chin into her knuckles, recalling for those faded intimate moments then returning her stare at the curious girl in front of her. “One time, we got _really_ intimate and she…” She held out two fingers, tracing them in the air aimlessly.

Kate blinks slowly, “Oh? What is that?”

Rachel drops her hand down, realizing she isn’t clear enough. She coughs and clears her throat, “Like… I’m touching… _there_ but…” Her eyes roll around, “...she is doing it for me, instead.”

Kate’s eyes shoot sharply that it recoils her own head, “Oh!” She clamps both of her ears with her palms, “Argh! See, I’m such a prude! And, a dummy!” Her fingers twirl in some strands of her hair to be yanked on.

The gorgeous model grins, “Kate! It’s totally fine! I was kind of mumbling and also vague on what I was trying to say anyways.”

Kate holds out her two fingers drawing in the air, “Now I know what this mean—” She interrupts coldly then silently lowering her hand to bring it politely under her belly before she humiliates herself even more. “Thanks for understanding. So, you and Maxine were having a… moment together, huh?”

Rachel expands her lungs, letting a faint groan, “Yeah… she was going at it.” The air in her body slowly expels out with what she has to say next, “Then all of a sudden, she just… stopped.” Her eyes roll around, “I looked over and realized she just passed out and she started to snore.”

“Oh no!” Kate squeaks out through her clenched teeth, then pouting her lips feeling bad for Rachel without any words to say.

Rachel laughs at herself, her nose twitch from the slight humiliation, “Yeah, not something I would put as my most memorable moment. Erm...” Her nose wrinkles, “Memorable? Sadly, yes. But not a proud moment.” She corrects herself.

Kate squeezes her hand together in front of her chest, her body slumping down. “It seems like it is something very important to you, huh? Well… if it went the way you wanted it to go.”

“Erm…” The model’s eyes light up, “What do you mean?”

“Like…” Kate pushes her two index fingers right at each other, dodging her eyes, “Rachel, if you were in love with someone and that person loves you truly with their heart. But…” The prodding of her fingers increase in rate, “...the person may be bad at… Erm… no that’s not it…” She mumbles through her own internal struggles, becoming increasingly frustrated at herself, “Uncomfortable or not ready with...” She traces her two fingers in the air with cross-eyed, dizzying herself with her own incoherent mumbling. “Erm… ahhh!” She wails at her own incompetence to speak.

“Easy there, bun-ny,” Rachel gives a quick nudge, that seemingly gives some composure back into the hair bun girl. “Are you saying if I would ever be okay being with someone that is not ready or interested in sex?”

“I—” Kate’s mouth moves but no words come out as they are momentarily stuck on her spinning mind, “...wouldn’t say… this person… is never…” She blinks her eyes rapidly then finally conceding with a slouched stance, “...Yeah.”

The more bold girl continues on, “I mean we all have some sort of sex drive. I’ll be a liar if I said I never thought about sex during my normal everyday life.” She holds her arms out nonchalantly, “Hell… I’m thinking about it right now.”

“Right…” Kate nods, wincing her body back in a joking way, then swaying right back as she teeths into a smile. “You kind of got to share it with Chloe earlier today.” She winks her eyes then arching her eyebrows rapidly.

Rachel chuckles, “Yeah, a little bit.” She draws out a long sigh, “I just see a lot of myself in Chloe. With how this timeline’s Rachel and Max treated her…” She wiggles her sneaker against the concrete, “It is like looking at a mirror. So I feel for her struggle.”

Kate leans in with her two hands pressed into her chest, “It makes perfect sense you guys bond on that level. I remembered you saying she was very cheerful in your timeline.” Her eyes sail toward the front of the house, “Quite a contrast with this timeline. Must be very difficult to stomach.”

“It is…” The time traveler nods, “And with Max, I just see her like my own best friend that I love.” She twirls her fingers to weave into her long hair, “But of course she doesn’t share the same feelings I have for her.” Her eyes scan side to side, thinking about the two girls. “It really breaks my heart.”

The church girl smiles with mixed emotions, “You are from a different route so I understand why your love isn’t limited to just a single person or from a single timeline.”

Rachel arches her eyebrows, grinning from the positivity that glows from this special person. “You’re such a selfless person, Kate.”

“What?”

“Normally, people are competitive with each other when it comes to love. Listen, I know you have _some_ interest in me.” The words sends a slight tremble into Kate’s body but she remains to stand strong. Rachel continues, “Yet, you don’t discount or berate my love for Chloe and Max.” She leans back crossing her arms with redden face, “Normally, people would stick their nose in the air and think they’re God’s gift to that person. Like Max probably thinks she is the much better friend for Chloe than Rachel. But you’re different, Kate.” She reaches out to squeeze her nose to strike a warm expression from the adorable girl. “You really put everyone else before you. And, I absolutely love that about you.”

“I d-d—” Kate stammers and she presses her lips tightly to seal away her gushing. “Thank you, Rachel.” Kate claps her hand, interlocking her fingers tightly together in front of her smile. Her lips quiver feeling an immense amount of love and support from this beautiful girl in front of her. “Come back to me, okay? I don’t care… tease me... poke me… make fun of my hair… do anything” She puffs out a laughter that resonates with genuine love, “If not here, then do it in any other timelines…” Her eyebrows pinch together, blooming from the cringe factor of her next words, “You can probably find me at your nearest abstinence club.” She giggles to herself. “Or, at the church. I apologize ahead of time if I’m a boring person.” She tips her index finger up in the air, “But! Please, give me a chance, okay? I want to hear your story. I always want to.”

 _Wow. Kate, you’re just perfect. It breaks my heart to walk away from someone like you._ The blonde time traveler brushes her plaid jacket, “I will, Kate… I promise…”

Her body sways nervously, “To answer your earlier question if I would ever be with someone like you.” She reaches to cradle the round cheek of the angel, “Absolutely.” A wave of light sweeps up Kate’s body, glistening her eyes. Rachel smiles warmly and continuing, “Since I’ve been in this timeline, you have shown nothing but absolute respect for me. And even _this_ Rachel, no matter what wrongdoings she has done. You always rationalized it with sympathy.”

Kate’s arms want to reach out to hug her, but instead, she continues to wrap her own body. She remains silent with quivering lips.

Rachel continues, “I would treat you with respect like you did with me. Including honoring your wishes and boundaries.” She extends out her pinky finger toward the church girl.

Kate looks down, flushing with a warm smile. She sticks out her pinky finger and interlocking them tightly to generate a warm laughter between the girls. A few moments later, they release their finger letting in a rush of silent emotions to be spilled onto them. 

The silence blankets the warmth that is generated from the two girls. A growing intensity flutters in both of them in unison. Kate’s eyes glance around at the exposed and public area around her. Feeling the urge to gain a little more privacy, “Come here…” She reaches for Rachel’s hand, dragging her toward the front door. Rachel leans forward, playfully hobbling her feet to follow closely with the sweet girl that is guiding her.

They both enter Chloe’s house but they stay by the front door, close to the corner by the door to the garage. Under the protection from the eyes of any unknown passersby out in the neighborhood, Kate immediately turns the lonesome time traveler around and wrap her arms around her, nuzzling her cheek against hers. 

Rachel flinches slightly, a bit taken back from the sudden bold move, but she quickly caves in, squeezing back tightly as well. She carefully shifts the red thermos in her hand, then rubs her own nose against the soft hair bun. Her breaths heaving against hers. Even with the warm affectionate moment, Rachel’s eyebrows lower finally feeling the brute reality of leaving this person that she loves dearly. Yet, she will take whatever she can get for this very moment. Even with her powers, time still always seem to be an issue.

“I really didn’t mean to bring this up right before I leave.” Rachel whispers softly into Kate’s ear, melting the pure angel.

“No, it’s fine.” Kate forces out her thick breath. Her eyes is puffy, “Whatever you discover later…” She takes a deep breath that weakens to a whimper, “Always remember you can seek comfort with me, okay?” She relaxes her body, letting the lonely time traveler embrace it more.

Rachel doesn’t reply back with words. Instead, she nods silently and digging her nose into Kate’s hair. For a moment, it is silent as there are no needs for words. The time traveler leans her body in, taking in deep breaths to heave her fragile heart into the comforting touch of Kate. It is soothing and mending for both of them in this very moment.

Rachel blindly fumbles and interlocks her hand with Kate, bringing it up close to their attention. Through her heated breaths, she gently kisses her hand and keeping eye contact to let her know she absolutely adores Kate.

Kate grins, hiding the gushing of her emotions. She doesn’t want her emotions to break her down completely to drag down the moment even more.

Footsteps stalk from behind, closing in on them. “You guys finished yet?” Chloe’s voice sends a freezing wave that sweep across the two blonde girls. On her shoulder is the backpack that she carried to Blackwell Academy. 

Kate gulps her throat to the menacing punk, forced to let out of their embrace, “Uh it is… nothing.” She distances herself away from the woman that Chloe loves. She crosses her hands politely over her body, hiding the fact that deep down inside she is trembling with tension.

Chloe furrows her eyebrows, “What the fuc-” Her frustration chokes up her cursing briefly. She hones in closer to the two girls, finally confronting them, “This is bullshit…” She twirls her finger between the two girls, “...what you guys are doing is really mind-fucking with me, okay?”

Rachel tucks her hands into her pocket, feeling subdued, “I’m sorry.”

The bluenette takes another step closer, causing Kate’s body to flinch backward from the steep oppressing presence. Chloe stops for a moment, her eyebrows pinching downward slightly at the sight of the soft repressed girl. Saying no more, she pinches the bridge of her nose, then wiping down on her plump lips and turning her attention to the other blonde girl. “Rachel, I wish for your mother to get well…” She scratches her blue hair, “Erm, both of your mothers... But what you are doing right now is tearing everyone apart. So, just go back to your timeline, alright?” Chloe glares between the two girls.

The time traveler presses her hand onto her chest, “Look, I’m fine with that and planning on it. But I know Max won’t be.” She leans forward, peeking further into the house but not seeing the brunette in sight, “She wants to use me for my powers until Jefferson and Nathan are arrested so you guys are in the clear.”

Chloe rolls her eyes, rebounding with a determined expression, “Naw, fuck that.” She takes a cautious look behind her to make sure her other best friend isn’t watching. She swings the bag on her shoulder around, unzipping it. Her voice drops to barely above a whisper so only the two girls can hear, “I snagged David’s gun. I’m going to pop those bitches’ brain out if they dare to lay a finger on us.” She takes out the small polished black handgun, examining it with entranced eyes.

The two girls freeze at the sight of the firearm. Kate tugs on the snug collar of her shirt, venting some seething steam out of her clammy and sweaty skin, “Chloe, I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

The bluenette whines to her, “Aww boo hoo, the poor Christian church girl is terrified of these scary guns?” She rotates the dangerous beauty in her hand, “Chillax, it’s empty right now. I know how to handle one.”

Kate wrinkles her nose, “Don’t call me that.” Her voice is stern, showing some bite and willingness to defend herself. “I’ve discovered so many things about myself and this world.” Her sharp hazel eyes glare back at the punk.

Chloe rebukes back harshly, “What did you discover? That Rachel is hot and sexy when she is flaunting her body in her sexy lingerie?” She leans in closer, “That she gets really wet when she cums? Did you also find out that you enjoy looking at that?” Her fierce words send a mixture of anger and shame into Rachel, momentarily subduing her from stepping in the heated conversation.

Kate presses her lips tightly, lowering her eyebrows, “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do find her to be very attractive. I’m in charge of a bible study club and also an abstinence club.” She straightens her shoulders, “And, yes I was _and_ will be bullied by many people for being a part of those clubs. They also laughed at my sheltered life and beliefs.” She shakes her head, “I’m actually more open minded than most people believe, but no one ever takes the time to get to know me. I tried to put myself in their shoes by attending to their party one time just to get a feel of what other people loved to do. But instead, people saw me as a huge target and drugged and exploited me. They even videotaped me and created a website to show the rest of the world.” Kate squeezes her eyes closed, her keen tone quivers in her tight throat, “You have no damn idea what kind of hell I went through. I… didn’t think I could ever pull through something like that, especially with my own family and church finding out about that video. I suddenly felt all alone in the world with no one to turn to.”

Chloe raises one of her hand, conceding and regretting her cheap attacks, “I’m very sorry…” She pinches her eyebrows together, pouting her lips and repeating again, “I’m very sorry, Kate.” Her eyes scan around for the perfect words but decides to say what lies on the surface of her heart, “I wished I could have been there for you. That sounds so awful.”

The conservative girl dodges her face slightly, “I know I don’t really fit in with you guys.” She shrugs her shoulders, “I know I’m blind and naive but I just hope that you guys would still accept me.”

The bluenette quickly replies back with comforting and reinvigorating tone, “No, you totally fit in with us. You hella do. I just get stupid jealous… I, fucking suck.” She drapes her head, tugging on her own wrist, “Max said you were super awesome for being by her side. I, thank you for being there for her when I couldn’t. I’m a shitty best friend.” The taller girl smiles, trying to dampen the tension that she has caused.

Kate’s eyes drift to the hallway, “Yeah…” Unable to maintain eye contact with any of the other girls, “Well, Max has you now. And _this_ Rachel is going to leave real soon.” She crosses her arms, now feeling the growing void inside her that is sapping away at her.

Chloe gazes hopelessly as the girl in front of her slips further and further down the slope with her insecurities. She stuffs the handgun back into her bag, putting it away.

Rachel leans in, wrapping her arm around Kate’s body and nuzzling into her cheek. She doesn’t care about how the bluenette is going to react because she wants to comfort her angel in despair. But Chloe doesn’t seem bothered at all. She chooses to not ruin the moment between the two girls that truly care for each other. The punk draws her head away and taking a few stumbling steps away with a sigh.

Kate takes notice of the distant punk, as she gives one last rub to Rachel’s long beautiful hair, then releasing her. “I’m sorry. I’m just at a loss with everything.”

Chloe spins her body back around, nodding with a smile, “Tell me about it. I think us losers that have no time travel powers should stick together, huh?” She extends out her clenched fist.

The angel who is slowly recovering for the moment gazes at it with a grin, then she bumps her fist against the punk’s. “You got it.” Her eyes sail from the ocean blue eyes to the bag on the bluenette’s shoulder, “It’s just… you died twice to a gun.” Her teeth clench as the terror of the weapon returns back into her voice. “You’re right, I’m a big scaredy cat around these type of things.”

Chloe nods solemnly, trying to maintain her calm voice, “Time powers doesn’t exactly solve any problems. It only delays the inevitable.” She tilts her shoulder, lifting the strap of the bag a few inches higher, “ _This_ is the answer. I’m not the same Chloe as the one that Max met.” She looks over her shoulder, making sure the brunette isn’t watching them, “I’m fucking better than that other Chloe, alright? Not a scrub like Nathan or a photography teacher is going to get the jump on me.”

Kate balls her fist, digging her nails into her skin, still not feeling convinced. “I really don’t think this is the right answer.”

Chloe replies back with frustration but keeping her voice quiet, “Then tell me what is the answer?”

Feeling flustered but not having any solutions, Kate exclaims back, “I don’t know.”

Rachel turns to the hair bun girl, “Kate… Chloe is right. When dealing with dangerous and armed people, you do eventually need your own protection.” She threads the ends of her long hair with her fingers, “In my timeline, Chloe got gunned down after they murdered William.”

Chloe’s eyes open up, feeling some boiling anxiety that colors her throat, “But you were able to rewind and save him, right?” She shows concerns for her own father even if it is a different timeline. “...Right?”

Rachel nods, “At first, I could only save you. I wasn’t quite fully aware of my powers and its capabilities at the time.” She wets her lips, “But I saw how broken you became after his death. So, I had to go save your father.”

Chloe puffs out a large breath, “Broken, huh? That is putting it mildly.” Her eyes drift away for a moment, pondering deeply. Something that pops into her mind at this very moment. She returns her pleading stare back, “Can you save my father, Rachel?” She points her index finger at her own nose, “This Chloe’s father…”

Kate crosses her arms, hugging tightly against her body and bracing for the uneasiness that is going to come out. Her stomach churns tightly, “Chloe…”

A wave of heat rises from her spine trickling along the back of her neck. Rachel stammers, “I—I...” Unable to form any more words on her tongue.

Not even needing to hear a response. “I don’t know…” Chloe’s voice whispers off softly into the still air of the house, “I was just thinking about how you saved Max’s parents from the car accident… But my father...” She gives one faded glance to Rachel then her eyes feel the urge to seek comfort away. The bluenette knows her worth isn’t at all on the radar for Rachel compared to Max. No way the time traveler would do anything for her.

Rachel takes a step forward, wanting to reach out to the bluenette but the punk seems preoccupied to be receptive to any comforting touch. The blonde speaks up, “I know you really loved your father, Chloe. I lost my dad, too. And this Rachel went far back in time to change practically her entire life.” She hugs her own body, digging her hands in the shelter of her jacket, “Look, it isn’t this easy.”

The bluenette squeezes her eyes together, not responding to Rachel’s remarks. Her breaths are steady through her tight throat, “I kept thinking about the day when my father died. I thought about if it would have been different if I rode with him.” Her eyes open, showing her sapphire eyes but staring off into the distant, “Maybe I would have slowed him enough to avoid the accident. But then again, Max was with me. So, all three of us could have died.” She pounds her temple against the palm of her hand, “I just don’t fucking know anymore.”

“Chloe, we can’t be living our life with full of regrets. Sometimes, we just have to push forward.”

Chloe sneaks a curious glance at Rachel but shrinking away from her, “You saved my father in your timeline where I was a lot nicer to you, huh? I’m totally a better person in that timeline, huh?” Her body drapes down, feeling a sting of envy toward her own counterpart who seems to have a better life than the shit that she had to put up with.

“Chloe, don’t even say that.” The blonde time traveler shrugs her shoulder, “I mean this Rachel is better than I am.”

The punk turns her body back sharply, “Both of you are awesome.” A curiosity warms up her neck, “Could you tell me about how I am in your timeline?”

Rachel leans back recalling the brief conversion she had with the other Chloe at the parking lot in downtown, where she found Maxine unconscious after a party at Nathan’s. “She’s… beautiful and sweet. Long blonde hair.” She weaves her own hair down to it ends, “A bit of a nerd. And, I think you just finished college. But she has the same sharp and crude tongue as you.”

Chloe chuckles, squeezing her eyes closed, “No wonder you wanted my hair to grow back to be blonde.” She brushes the short blue hair which has her natural color close to its roots. “So, she’s basically a bitch-less version of me, huh? And not a total loser? I got it.”

“Chloe, you’re awesome and cool in your own way.”

The bluenette sways her body, “I…” She pauses her body for a moment. “I should go back to school.”

Kate shoots into the conversation with enthusiasm, “Yeah Chloe! That’s a great idea. I’m more than happy to help you out with that. Both the public and private schools are pretty renowned around here.”

Chloe smiles softly, taking whatever supportive words of encouragement for her chaotic mind. “Thanks, Kate. I’ll look into it.”

Rachel digs her nails into the pocket of her jacket, “I didn’t go to school, either. I think I will consider it, as well.”

Chloe nods silently knowing that dealing with her father’s death is anything but easy and it led her life to be the way it is now. Normally, the punk wouldn’t care at all what anyone thinks about her life. But this whole time travel ordeal and the thought there are more _desirable_ scenarios in other parallel timelines has twisted her mind. “Rachel, you’re going back to your timeline to change your mother’s fate?” Her eyes narrow, clarifying herself, “I mean you’re going to help change it?”

Rachel dwindles down her body, “I don’t know, Chloe. I haven’t really thought about it. I just want to see my mother.” She curls her right grip, finding out more and more that her powers are becoming more frustrating and rather more of a curse than a mixed blessing, “Time travel is stupid.”

Chloe blouses her gray t-shirt, feeling the blush of tension creeping across her skin. “Yeah, I don’t even know, anymore. When you leave and the Rachel I know comes back, what do I even say to her?” She puffs out a troubling exhale, “That an alternate version of her leaked out all of her personal and dirty secrets of her entire life? Then, we have to tell her exactly what she has to do with her life in order to save her?” Her left shoulder tilts backward, “And Max…?” Her other best friend who is also a time traveler, “She has certain expectations out of me and everything else. What if there’s friction between all of us? I cannot choose between Rachel and Max. It isn’t that fucking simple.” Another sharp steaming breath escapes from her lips, “I’m so left out in the dark that it is not even fucking funny.” Her spinning eyes shield itself for a moment, “But, please don’t tell Max any of this, okay? Everything is… fucking going to shit.”

Emphasizing with the bluenette, “I- uh… Totally understand what you’re going through.” Rachel draws in closer, sealing the group of girls even more. “Even with these time powers, where do I even belong in all of this? Am I just on a one-way street to hell? I’m just a runaway across timelines.”

Chloe leans her pale face onto her knuckles, “Runaway, huh? Can I fucking join you on that?”

Rachel pushes out a forced laughter through her lips, “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to be in my position. But don’t you want to be with Max and the Rachel you love?”

The flustered bluenette sways her head, “I have no clue anymore. I feel so uprooted. Like I don’t belong anywhere. At least in the eyes of all of you guys.” She gulps her throat, muttering under her breath, “I guess that hasn’t changed. Both Max and Rachel always ditched me.” She relaxes her dull eyes, “Now I’m fucking scared. When Rachel comes back, she is going to say… ‘Fuck all of this. I meant to pave my own life away from you assholes. I’m sticking with Frank or that teacher.’” She points her thumb in the direction of the brunette that is out of sight, “...And Max… What if she can use her time powers one day and say, ‘Fuck this timeline, I’m going to go back and find that Chloe that I loved more’?”

Rachel grabs onto Chloe’s hands, “Your Rachel won’t do that. Especially not after finding out what Mark did to her and everyone. And Max, won’t do that to you. She’s sick of fucking with timelines and she loves you dearly.”

Chloe tips her nose, staring blankly at the ceiling, “If Rachel doesn’t go for Mark, then she will go for someone else. What if Rachel… is still in love with Max? She did leave her but maybe deep down inside she still wants to be with her?” Her eyes come back down to the blonde girl, “Like you. I know you’re in love with this Max. Even though you are frustrated, I can tell you care for her deeply.” She points behind her, “That Max…”

_This Rachel… did come back to Arcadia Bay just to observe how Max’s life was shaping up to be. It is possible that she still has feelings for Max._

Rachel steps forward, wrapping her arms around the girl that is lost, “Chloe…” She slides her hand up to her face, cradling it, “Come here…”

“You’re right…” Chloe forces through her thick throat as her face wants to reject Rachel’s touch, “...time travel is fucking bullshit. I wish I knew nothing about it, now. I just want to run away from it all.” Her throat is straining, “I wish my memory could be wiped from all of this.”

Rachel draws her head even closer, “You belong here. And, I love you, Chloe…”

Chloe twists her body backward, trying to reject the affection being directed toward her, “I know. But you love a different version of me… The one that isn’t fucked up in the head, right?”

The beautiful model doesn’t take her eyes from the deep glistening ocean blue eyes, “Chloe, it doesn’t matter what timeline or how old or young I’ve met you. I will still love you. Whether you are sick or healthy, I’ll be there for you.” Even though she is questioning her own memories, she has already been on many wild time trips with this girl, “I mean… come on, I’m also not even the Rachel you love. The one that is full of confidence and isn’t stupid boring.” She pushes out a giggle at her own belittling comment.

Chloe straightens her face, gazing at the beautiful girl in front of her. More and more she is realizing that they are both similar, who are envious of their counterparts and also at a loss with everything. This strikes into her heart dearly, as a bubbling sting of solace dissolves into her body.

Chloe’s lips waver, “You are different. But…” She runs her thumb, rubbing Rachel’s bottom lip and gazing at the glossiness of it, “I like it…” She draws her head closer. Without hesitation, she presses her lips against Rachel’s. She weaves her hand around the blonde hair then continue sucking on her plump lips. Their warm passionate breaths paint softly on each other’s skin.

The bluenette slides her lips down to the jawbone of Rachel and begins to kiss with an opened mouth repeatedly, choking out a gasp from Rachel. Chloe’s fingers sail down, wedging under the layer of the jacket.

Rachel opens her eyes, following the blue eyes from the punk that reflects back the heaving chest of the blonde time traveler. Her body remains motionless with her pounding heart as she awaits for Chloe.

Already entranced by this beautiful girl, Chloe immediately caresses Rachel’s breast. Feeling the padded bra that nullifies the sensation, Chloe accommodates for it by kneading it with more pressure. Rachel peels her eyes to gaze at the ceiling for a moment just to let a few of her moans croak out smoothly out of her warm throat. In the corner of her half-lidded eyes, she catches a glimpse of the sweet angel that has been spectating.

Kate, who was slightly out of their viewing angle, draws slightly allured with curiosity from the breathing. She floats her head to survey the scene but quickly flinches after being spotted by Rachel. The church girl sticks out her tongue, rapidly arching her eyebrows in a teasing fashion.

Chloe also notices her, abruptly breaking physical contact from Rachel by withdrawing backward. “Oopsie. I’m sorry, Kate.” Her guilty hand sweeps up to rub the side of her neck, “My hand kind of slipped and…” She snorts, rolling her crystal eyes, “...accidentally squeezed Rachel’s boobies about ten times.”

Kate forms her hands underneath her stomach in a polite posture and standing up straight, “I don’t think it was ten times. More like five times. But then again, I shouldn’t have been looking! I already interrupted you guys earlier today.” She bares her teeth, darting her eyes side to side in a comical nervous manner. “Don’t mind me, I won’t look!” She twirls on her heels, spinning backward to give some distance to the two loving girls. Instead, she finds the closed front door that impedes her movement. She scratches her hair bun, “Hmm... probably need to step away further, huh?” She whirls around again, finding a pathway in between the two girls, “I’ll just walk—”

“Kate…” Rachel sticks out her hand, pressing into the church girl’s stomach to prevent her from passing. “...Not so fast!” Kate cranes her head to the gorgeous model, lowering her jaw slightly with a smile. Rachel continues, “Kate, you’re such a dork and a good sport to put up with us, crazies.” She runs up her fingers, ruffling the loose strands of hair from the beautiful hair bun.

Chloe steps in closer, “Sorry, it just got heated out of nowhere and I broke down. But Rachel is right.” Kate turns her full attention to the bluenette. The punk wraps around for a single arm hug, “Thanks for uh… cheering me up earlier.” Her beautiful blue eyes dart away for a moment to ponder, then returning back, “As much as I act like a carefree bitch… deep down inside, I do feel insecure. Especially around Rachel who is hella popular and got everything going with her life.” 

Kate’s smile disappears, remaining composed with sympathy, “I understand. It is disappointing when things don’t line up with what you want. You also went through a lot. I think it is admirable you want to make the change for yourself.” She tips her nose in the air, “Ah!” She yelps softly, “I sound cheesy like I’m preaching something to you, huh?”

Chloe warms her face with a sunny smile, “Not at all, I actually like it. It feels very genuine and uplifting coming from you.” Rachel nods in agreement. The punk’s eyes again drift away, then shooting back, “Do you still play the violin at your church?”

The church girl puffs her cheeks, “Mm-hmm… it varies since there are different groups of people for each service.”

The bluenette’s voice is soft and smooth, “I would like to see you play one day. I remembered your playing was touching at my dad’s funeral.” Her body shrinks slightly. She deflects the brief melancholic moment of the tragedy with a joke, “I can’t promise that I won’t fall asleep during the service, though.”

Kate snickers, grinning her reflective smile, “Not at all! Many people fall asleep at our service. It can be boring.”

Chloe presses her lips tightly, also feeling warmed to this conservative girl that she was formerly seen as a threat to her Rachel. But slowly, she is also opening up to her, starting to see what beauty Rachel saw in her. She holds out her fist, “We stick together, then?”

Kate’s wide opened eyes peer at the knuckles from the punk, then she bumps with her own fist again, “Deal!”

Rachel leans in close, signaling silently across. Swiftly, when the opportunity is still there, she presses her lips on the side of Kate’s cheek.

The hair bun girl yelps with joy, “Ah!”

Chloe leans lower, “Double Team!” She joins with her lips on the other side of Kate, sandwiching her in with love.

Kate’s face blooms, trapped between the two beautiful girls, “Oh gosh!” Her voice barely makes through with the pressure applied to each cheeks. She squeezes her eyes closed, chuckling lightly to herself. Her eyes open again and before she could actually immerse herself in the moment, a fork of terror strikes through her body. Her breath is paralyzed at the edge of her throat, “Max…” Both of the girls on either side of her cheeks quickly pull away, turning sharply down toward the hallway of the house.

The lone girl who has been excluded from the group conversation has her head sticking out into the hallway, glaring deeply at Rachel. Whatever sickness that was churning in her body earlier seems to have been suppressed with the resentment imbued in her spirit. The three girls are silenced, realizing they are having too much of an intimate moment in a rather public area, especially knowing there is jealousy arising from the photographer.

Rachel boldly marches toward the hipster to alleviate the scene and at least to take the bulk of the blame. “I was just saying goodbye to Chloe.”

Max lifts her hand, placing it on her hips, “By trying to tempt Chloe to squeeze your breasts?”

Rachel’s body shudders at the cold sharp tone coming from the normally reserved girl. While it was Chloe who initiated all the actions, the freckled girl could have missed parts of it from her angle. This doesn’t matter to Rachel as she wants to take the blame to not stir any more tensions toward Kate and Chloe. She dodges with a more lighthearted comment, “Well, you can squeeze my breast when I give you my goodbye kiss.” She winks and taking a step closer with her arms out, “Come here, Little Max!”

Max crosses her arms over her body, straightening her spine and propping her leg against the edge of the wall to maintain her imposing aura. “I don’t care about squeezing your stupid breasts.” Her eyes dart to the bluenette and then back to the sultry blonde, “You know very well about my feelings and yet you’re pulling this type of shit in front of me. All the crap I went through to save Chloe… but I had to leave her behind in the end.” Her eyes are puffy but the menacing expression hides this faltering weakness.

Chloe tucks her hands into her jeans, advancing through the hallway to the living room, with Kate following cautiously close behind. The tall girl dodges with her eyes, “Max… I-” Her apology gets easily choked out.

 _Damn, Max is becoming very fierce. Kind of like how Maxine was to me toward the end of our friendship._ Rachel shrugs, “I’m sorry, Max.” But she wants to make her own feelings and existence to have a meaningful impact and existence. “I do love Chloe, too. She was very sweet to me in my timeline.”

Max pinches her nose, feeling flustered with the stupidity that is singing into her ears. “You met her for a day. It’s not even real love.”

Rachel smiles nonchalantly, knowing that she has finally pried out the truth, “So all those things that you said about caring and loving me were also fake, huh? You don’t actually care about finding a home together with me.”

The hipster shrinks her body, “T-t… That’s not what I meant.” She shakes off the brief chill that blankets her body to deflect the subject. She returns back to her commanding and accusatory tone, “I heard Kate saying that she interrupted you guys earlier. What was she talking about?” Her blue eyes dart between the girls, “What were you guys doing with each other?” Kate gulps her throat instinctively in the back, which the freckled girl can easily sense, triggering her to press further, “Tell me now.”

Rachel sneaks a glance at the bluenette who is also speechless with a growing guilt on her face. She then turns back replying before anyone else can sputter anything, “We just made out…”

Max lets out an exaggerated long sigh, making sure the other girls can hear her displeasure, “I know you guys did more than that. But I know none of you guys would ever tell me the truth.” She kicks off her sneaker from the wall, crashing it into the floor, “Geez, you hop into this world and really pull tightly on the strings to strangle this timeline, huh?” The passive hipster isn’t afraid anymore to voice her opinion. With her brief power trip last week, she has generated enough disappointments in the bitter end which has been fueling her frustration ever since.

The bluenette slumps her body, “Max…” She weaves her body closer but halting short of the brooding aura, “Sorry, it’s not cool what we did.”

Max turns to her best friend, “Chloe, of course, you would be okay with this Rachel making advances toward you.” She glances at the other time traveler, then back to the beautiful sky blue eyes, “This… isn’t the Rachel you know. She would never have done whatever you guys did, Chloe.” The cold words stick onto the bluenette’s body, burying any words from coming out of the punk. Hearing the girl that she loves, not reciprocating her feelings peels back old buried wounds in Chloe’s heart.

The steady air seemingly escapes from Rachel’s lungs silently, as her actions and existence are starting to be questioned. Almost like she isn’t allowed to fall in love with anyone else as a traveler across timelines. She defends the action, “Both Chloe and I are in a fragile state.” She sweeps her gaze over to the tall girl, “She’s broken because _her_ Rachel isn’t with her.”

Max shrugs, scoffing silently knowing that she can offer more as a friend than that model could ever. “But Chloe is here with me. And, I’ll always be there for her.” She glares down at the beautiful girl, “You seem to be taking advantage of people that are broken and vulnerable. Like me, Chloe… and even Kate…” She scans up and down her figure, “You use your beautiful face and body to try and manipulate with all of us…”

Rachel lowers her head as the guilt weighs it down, “I know… I don’t have my Max.”

The brunette dodges her expression, taking a few steps away, pressing her jeans against the old dining table. “Rachel…” An expanded fluttering slowly burdens down her legs as she falls back onto one of the chairs that is already pulled out from the table.

The late sun is slowly burying itself toward the horizon, leaving a soft and dim glow to be reflected off the gloomy backyard that is obscured by the towering shadows of the nearby trees and the house itself.

Both David and Joyce are absent as they are still well into their work shift entering the evening, further adding to the stillness in the air of the Madsen household.

Rachel breaks the frozen silence with her sigh, “Look, I get it… I know you don’t really love me. I’ve always known that. How could you possibly have any feelings for me other than what I could assist you with?” She follows toward the dining table, leaning her body against it right beside Max, “But could you imagine going into a timeline where you saw Chloe but she doesn’t recognize you at all? And, she doesn’t even know a fraction of the history you had with her?” Her teeth bite into her lower lip, feeling the hopelessness that she is sharing in this moment with her best friend. “I mean you were already bummed about not being with the Chloe you spent a week with—”

Max lifts her head, glaring with weakened eyes, “That wasn’t cool, Rachel.” She refers back to how she was put on the spot back in the car ride, about which Chloe she would have preferred, the one she had the week long adventure or the one in this current timeline. “I’m happy as long as Chloe and my parents are safe and alive.” She brushes her hand up her short hair, then down to the back of her neck. “I just feel uncertain with this timeline because I feel so disconnected. And that both Nathan and Jefferson...” Her voice trails off into the muffled air.

The blonde time traveler steps closer, cradling the freckled girl’s face with her hand, “Yes, I know you really love your parents and Chloe.” Max shows a bitter and cold reaction toward the touch and Rachel instantly acknowledges it. Her hazel eyes lower, “It is harder to pin Jefferson and Nathan down this far back in the past especially with their elevated status. Why did you want to rewind this far back? I asked you if you wanted to rewind back just a week earlier so you can save Chloe from getting shot by Nathan.” Her throat thickens at the thought, showing more sympathy for her counterpart in this timeline than she did before, “...and just leave Rachel to be buried dead in the junkyard for six months. Because it is her death that will make Jefferson and Nathan much easier to get arrested.”

Chloe inches closer to them, intruding on both of the time travelers’ moment, “... _And just leave Rachel to be buried dead?_ ” The punk’s face falters down, feeling disconcerted with the thought of it, “No… Max…”

Max shakes her head, snapping back through a migraine that pulses in her head, “I didn’t pick that option, Chloe. I picked to rewind back here in March right before her death.” She realizes that nothing is as smooth sailing as she hoped to be with time travel, especially if she isn’t in control.

The hair bun girl gently joins the other girls, “Rachel, we are going to keep this, right?” She shuffles her legs closer to the new friend that she truly cares about, “Don’t you worry. We will take down both Nathan and Jefferson.” She balls her fists, showing some bite in her attitude.

Max doesn’t buy into the naive outlook on the situation from Kate. Feeling the need to defend herself, she is still unable to empathize with the other time traveler. “Rach, I’m sorry I cannot remember anything about you.” She looks over her shoulder, getting a small glimmering glimpse of the backyard, “I really wish I could somehow join you for a little bit…” Her tone becomes desperate as the uncertain future looms heavily over her, “But please, I really need your help with Jefferson and Nathan.”

Rachel draws back slightly from the pleading girl, also looking at the back door to see the dim light of the afternoon sun fading slowly. Knowing that her decision to return back to her own timeline upsets the photographer. The haunting and horrifying experience drags her to that action, “Max, I’ve been seeing visions…” She grasps at the sleeves of her jacket, tucking them out, “I saw my mom dying on a hospital bed all by herself.” A sting of shiver resonates through her body with the dreadful thought.

Max pinches her eyebrows together. Her voice is finally caving into a softer tone, “Oh god, Rachel…” The other two girls look on with hopeless silence.

The blonde nods her head, “That’s why I was asking how awful was it to see your parents…” She sways her body, pushing out the next single word with difficulty, “... dead…”

Beads of sweat forming underneath her shirt, Max quickly sheds her hoodie jacket, to the red short sleeve shirt. “I’ve also been getting visions. Like totally sucked into them.” She gulps her throat, “I saw my parents dead again. But…” Her eyes drift away from Rachel, moving toward the sweet angel that help guided and supported her. “Kate wasn’t there with me this time. Just Officer Berry…” The walls in the room seem to narrow itself very slowly, closing in parallel with the racing thoughts in her head. “Rach, do you know what that means? When I’m seeing other timelines or… some adjustments to it?”

Rachel’s eyes widen but she tries to curb her shocked expression with a casual brush to her chin. “I’m not sure…” Her eyes dart sharply, not wanting to blurt out any of her speculations to the freckled girl. _No Kate, huh? Could Max be seeing other timelines as well? But how could that be possible? I’m the only ghost that is drifting between the timelines._

A breeze of terror sweeps across the hipster’s skin. The chill triggers Max to a panicking shiver, shooting her eyes between the girls and deciding internally on who to confide this spontaneous cry of fear. Clouding with obstinacy, she puts her trust into her real best friend that is the most special person to her. “I’m scared, Chloe.” She scoots closer to the edge of the seat and turning her body toward her, “Please come over here...”

The tall punk moves in past Rachel and leans down to hug the terrified girl, “Max, I’m always here for you.”

Rachel blinks slowly, retreating backward and glancing between the two Arcadia Bay pirates bonding closer with each other. The brunette choosing Chloe to be the one to comfort her sends a twisting blade of envy that shreds Rachel’s heart into pieces. Maybe it is foolish of her to think that the two time travelers would bond and confide with each other with the hardship they are dealing with. 

Her hazel eyes drift to the backyard, thinking about her own timeline as it is her only escape from the burning truth of her worth and existence. Memories of her own timeline flash of how Chloe and Maxine also had a tender moment right in this very same dining room while Rachel stared helplessly in the distant of the darkened backyard, as her life slowly dripped out of her self-mutilated wound on her wrist.

Kate gazes on with narrowed eyes, examining the stare Rachel is casting onto the other two girls. Her fingers tremble, knowing that deep down inside the beautiful angel cannot change someone else’s feelings. 

The blonde time traveler breaks away, marching straight toward the back door, “Let’s… go outside...”

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence - 1F

#### March 21th, 2013 5:58 PM

Max, still curling her arms around her best friend, letting her love for this person to slowly fill the abyss that lies squarely on her chest. Very slowly, she leans her body around but still holding onto the bluenette so she can look at the blonde time traveler who is walking away from her with reluctance in her stride toward the glass sliding door.

_Rachel..._

Kate stops her halfway in her path, grasping onto her to pull her away to whisper something into her ear. The brunette’s eyes lower, that even the warm touch of Chloe cannot soothe. Her only chance of taking down both Jefferson and Nathan is slowly dwindling away. Passing thoughts of her captivity in the Dark Room starts to color into her anxious and apprehensive mind.

_I thought nothing could be worse than being in the Dark Room. But now that everything is uncertain who knows what may happen. We may still end up being captured by them or perhaps brutally gunned down._

Her fingers tighten, grasping the gray shirt of the bluenette as the terrors gut itself out of her body in a series of short slashes.

_I need Rachel… I need her. Time travel only gave me a chance to make the change. But I cannot do it without Rachel. We are so close to sealing the fate of our future._

_I need to keep her in this timeline until Jefferson is gone for good._

Chloe gently pushes herself away to meet clearly with the brunette’s eyes but she still holding onto her, “How are you feeling, Max?” Her tone is calm and remaining sympathetic.

Max shakes her pale face that lacks any life in it, keeping her voice on a whisper level, “Not good, Chloe. We cannot let her go back.” Her eyebrows furrow in pain, still feeling the lightheadedness from earlier as well as trying to combat her migraine. “I’m serious, Chloe. We need her powers for Jefferson.”

The bluenette drifts her head to the side to sneak another glance at Rachel who is across the room leaning her body against the couch. Kate is standing close to her with a pouty expression. They’re speaking to each other but also inaudible. Chloe gazes at the church girl, envious that this girl can easily bond with the person that she loves. Her skin tightens under her eyes, “I… didn’t think Kate sways this way.” She comments about the conservative girl showing some affection and possibly romance toward the same gender.

Max shrugs her shoulders, “She has a big heart but never been loved before.”

The punk nods her head, “Well… Rachel may have lured her into her web.” She turns to her friend, admitting with difficulty, “Like… she did with me.”

Max casts a coveting gaze at the punk, “You love her a lot, huh?”

Chloe hunches her shoulders, finally releasing her grip. She deflects from answering the question directly, “She’s an awesome person. We kicked Arcadia’s butt together.” Her lips part slightly, with her eyes longing, “At least the Rachel I knew.”

Max crosses her arms, feeling her pulse quickening underneath her skin. “Chloe, you’re blinded by love.” A part of her regrets saying such words, as her dissatisfaction is driving her patience to its final drops.

The bluenette closes her eyes, holding an index finger up in the air. Her breaths come out in slow bursts but she resists the urge, “Max… don’t. I may not have the cheat sheet in life like you do but please let me explore this myself. I’ll go talk to Rachel when she takes over her body again.”

The freckled girl nods softly, lowering her head, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Chloe gives a playful jab, but it quickly dies down to an awkward brief silence. “I-uh… get it... And I know you’re concerned about that Jefferson dude…” She swings her head back, letting strands of her blue hair to fling up freely in the air. She slides her thumb along the top of her belt, “But I have a little something so he doesn’t fuck with us.”

Max’s voice is nonchalant, “You stole David’s gun?”

Chloe pouts her lips, mumbling through it, “Erm... yes?” She puffs out a breath of air, “Dude, how the hell did you know? Did you use your time powers?” Her body flattens down, “Are you mad at me?”

Too many thoughts are burying the brunette’s mind for her to be even concerned of the dangerous firearm. “You also stole it in the previous timeline. But I’m not mad because both Nathan and Jefferson shot and killed you. And, it shows that you do believe in me when I say they’re a huge threat.” 

Chloe sticks her tongue, “Of course I trust you, Maxi-pad.”

Max smiles for a second with the nickname but her lips return back neutral. She could still remember that dreary night, the cool breeze that glides softly against her sweaty body when she raced through the dark junkyard with Chloe to make sure the decaying corpse of Rachel was still intact. Max recalls, “I can still remember in the junkyard where we dug up Rachel’s body. I did hear footsteps approaching behind me. But before I could even react to it, I felt a sting on the side of my neck and immediately my body went numb.” A fierce breath wedges through her clenched jaws, “I couldn’t even use my powers as my body was giving out. I called out to you. And, you turned and pulled out your gun, but then…” The gunshot roars and resonates a million times in her mind, sending a streak of lightning down her bent spine, “...you got shot in the head. I still remember that moment very clearly.” The disturbing image of her best friend falling back with her eyes still opened from the fatal shot to her brain.

Chloe brushes her hand across her forehead, looking at it as if she is expecting to see her own blood, “Geez… Maximo, you really have been through a lot.” She pats on the backpack that dangles off her shoulder. “But don’t you worry. This is one badass that they aren’t going to fuck with.”

Max forces her grin, through the shivering of her body, ”Yes, I know you’re a badass, Chlo. But still, I don’t want to take any risk.” Before the bluenette can offer any reassurance, the photographer propels up from her chair, gripping tightly on both of the punk’s arms, “You’re my number one priority, Chloe. I love you… And, I will never let anything separate us.” She leans her body closer, gently puffing out her soft breaths onto her best friend’s skin. “...ever…”

She had to let go of her best friend after that magical goodbye kiss on the cliffside peering at the colossal raging storm. It was an impossible decision to be put on the spot to make the call to sacrifice the person you love in exchange for an entire town. But she had to do it.

And since then, Max never felt like a human being anymore. With her body uprooted among everyone else in the world, she couldn’t confide in anyone. And, with the deaths of her parents, it was a further reminder that the torment from her powers was only beginning. Now, in a desperate attempt to prevent her from free falling again, she must make the change so she doesn’t ever have to relive the horrors.

She gently tugs on Chloe’s arms to rock the tall girl’s body closer, as tilts her head up. Slowly, she inches closer and closer, gradually feeling the warmth of their breaths soothing each other’s skin. Then, their lips connect. The punk’s eyes shoot up for a split second but she lowers it back down to give in. Her lips slowly gap open, allowing the brunette’s tongue to enter in and sap away all the air in Chloe’s lungs.

The tall girl’s breaths shudder, triggering Max to be uncertain of her abilities in this very moment. Feeling her experience is lacking in comparison to Rachel, she grips tightly, cradle the bluenette’s neck to be even closer.

_I’m… not as beautiful as Rachel. And, I’m sure they both had sex in the morning. But Chloe will see through that and realize I am the perfect person for her… ...Will she?_

Chloe’s eyebrows waver as her blue eyes sneak another glance to the side, but then forcefully closes her eyes to give into this moment for her best friend. The air in the room halts, as Max can feel an oppressing aura that trickles over her shoulder. She has only kissed a few times in her entire life and definitely not the type for public display of affection. But perhaps, Max just doesn’t care anymore when she is in the presence of the person she loves deeply for. The growing envy from earlier with Rachel and Chloe draws her to continue further.

Rachel’s eyes drift away from Kate, stopping onto her best friend having a very intimate moment. A shudder creeps up her body, snaking through her stomach and out of her throat. Getting a taste of her own medicine for kissing the bluenette earlier but it strikes her deeply even more as both Max and Maxine have fallen in love with Chloe in their respective timelines.

She wiggles her body, advancing quickly toward the two girls to break them out of their spell abruptly. She exclaims with forced enthusiasm, “Mousey Max! Aww, you’re so adorable…” Chloe draws her head back sharply, releasing her grip from the freckled girl. 

Max slurps her lips to wipe away the remaining sliver of saliva. Pressing her lips tightly, slowly turning toward Rachel with a stern face. Without hesitation, the blonde time traveler leans in close to plant her own kiss but Max quickly leans to the side, dodging the attempt.

Rachel takes a cold step back from the awkwardness, smiling but unable to maintain eye contact. Feeling withdrawn but wanting to keep the silence tucked away, she continues, “So, umm… I’m going to get going.” She turns toward the path of the light in the darkened dining room, “Max, I think I’m going to need you to move across the timeline if it is the same way how I moved over physically to this timeline.” She squeezes her eyes closed as the rejection slowly seeps into her soul, crushing it from the inside. The only way to dodge the smothering pain, she turns sharply and makes toward the sliding door.

Max balls her fists but following close behind with curiosity and to gain a full view of the yard.

In the middle lies the ever changing distortion field that links the two timelines. Right in it is the faded physical body of Rachel from the other timeline. She has moved a couple of feet and is now lying on her side, grasping weakly at her left wrist which has been spilling blood. The wound seems it could have normally been stopped by standard pressure on it but perhaps Rachel using her time powers have aggravated it through time and space.

“Oh my god…” Max’s pupils constrict as she covers her mouth, “...your body moved.” Her eyes dart at the blonde traveler who has been instantly silent with a distant stare at her own body. The freckled girl continues, “I thought I bandaged your wound before we went back…” Her voice tapers to a more quiet tone from her confusion, “I mean I know we rewound back six months. But Rachel, your timeline freezes when you’re here, right?”

Rachel narrows her eyes, “I… thought so.” A fresh cold blanket of terror shrouds over her with this new discovery. Walking almost lifelessly, she opens the sliding door and steps out into the backyard. The freckled girl behind her holds out her hand wanting to pull her back but she resists and continues to hide her emotions.

The blonde traveler steps around the anomaly with courage, kneeling a couple of yards away from the phantom image of her body. Trying to assess the information of the scene with the available amount of context. It has been almost twenty-four hours since Rachel hopped over this timeline but no way that amount of time could have elapsed in her original timeline. Her tone is distant, “Did… Rachel take back control of her own body in my timeline?” Her voice is uneasy as her own thoughts are choking away at her throat.

Max walks out the sliding door and side steps carefully, trying to not get close to it by walking along the perimeter of the backyard, “What do you mean _Rachel_ is taking over your body in your absence? It is your body, isn’t it? How could someone else take over your body?” The concept isn’t unheard of as the photo hopping ability of Max also shares this when she leaps back into the future after making the change in the past. Essentially, an _auto_ Max takes over in her absence.

The blonde looks at the ground between her and the phantom, “Maybe Rachel… woke up when I came over to this timeline. And, she tried to crawl to the back door to get some help…” She leans in, examining her bodyfrom her own timeline. The fallen body’s eyes are closed with furrowed eyebrows like if she is in pain. Rachel relays her information, “...but looks like she may have passed out, instead.”

Max stiffens her body, examining closely seeing there is a phone that is resting delicately on top of her hand, “Look, she has her phone out.” The body hasn’t moved far from the original position but from what she can see in the flickering dome lies a soft sheet of a short dark trail behind her, that extends from her bleeding wrist, “Oh my god, there’s so much blood. I can see the trail...” The freckled girl tapers to a squeak, muting herself.

Rachel looks down at her right hand, letting it glow into a red fiery flame, “So, that vision was real? After I used my powers to stop that person from breaking into Chloe’s truck in Portland, I…” She pauses trying to put some logical reasonings around it, even though nothing is ever logical at all. “...I felt like I may have slipped back to my timeline temporary. I was calling you _Max_ and begging for help.” Her lips quiver at the straining thought of it, “You picked up the call but I didn’t hear anything back from you.”

“You called me?” The brunette’s eyebrows arch with her eyes drifting to the side, “I also remember seeing _something_ , then I heard a vibration from a phone. I was…” Her face stiffens to a numbing cold.

The blonde time traveler looks over at her best friend with fading confidence, “What is it, Max?”

Max drops down, sitting her butt on the grass of the backyard to recall the vision that she had when she was in Nathan’s room when she tried to kiss Chloe. She saw a flickering image that she thought she was sharing an intimate moment with Rachel. Or at least someone with blonde hair. “Oh my god…”

Rachel advances toward the hipster, passing through the edge of the pulsating hemisphere. She also drops down onto the grass, “Tell me, right now.”

Max rubs both of her eyes, but more of a way to buy some time to digest everything. “Was I having a vision from your timeline, Rachel?”

“Max, fucking tell me now.”

The brunette blinks her eyes rapidly, then she casts a deep stare at the other time traveler, “I couldn’t see anything. But…” She looks at the blue jay earring that hangs on the left ear. Then, her head cranes toward the phantom body, seeing _that_ Rachel wears it on the other ear. “I just remembered seeing blonde hair so I thought it was you but there was no feather earring on your right ear…”

Rachel presses her lips together, forming a sly smile, “Chloe has her natural blonde hair in my timeline. And, you guys are an item.” Already jumping into conclusion and her eyes are welling up from the gushing of emotions, “You must be happy, huh?”

“This isn’t…” Max looks between the fallen body and the blonde girl that sits right beside her. Both Kate and Chloe also steps out of the house to join them in the yard. The freckled girl demands, “Rachel, you can’t go back to your timeline. It’s bad. _Very bad_ …”

Rachel’s back goes limp, but her tone remains strong, “So, what was Maxine doing with Chloe in your vision?” Her fingers weave roughly through the grass on the ground, as she pulls her body closer to the hipster. “Were you guys kissing?” She tips her nose up in the air, “Oh wait, Maxine is way more promiscuous than both of us. I should correct my question. Was Maxine licking Chloe’s pussy?”

Max grimaces at the obscene words, “No! Everything happened really quick that I didn’t have much time to think about it.”

Rachel settles down with a wavering chuckle as the sorrow replaces every muscle on her reddened face, “I know… That fucking bitch…” She mutters softly, “We’ve been best friends forever. I loved you, Max.”

“Rachel…” The brunette calls out to her, “Stay here… with all of us, okay?”

Rachel kneels down, hugging her knees to her chest and gently rock back and forth, “...If only you could see how we were… But then again, you may hate me even more. Fuck! Time travel is a fucking mess…” Her body scans around the backyard, looking at the house that eclipses the sun, “Things look almost the same… but yet still not the same. My home is over there…” She weakly points at the cloud of haze in the center of the yard, “...Even if everything looks grim. That is how my life is meant to be.” She looks down at the slim gorgeous body, tugging at the bottom hem of her shirt, “This beautiful body? That is meant for modeling? And, I am the most popular kid in school? It isn’t me at all… I know I sound emo but feeling withdrawn from many people… _is_ my home. It’s where the world feels real to me.”

Max nods her head, holding up her hands, “I know it feels weird but you will feel reborn. A fresh breath of life. Stay here. With Chloe, Kate and your father and mother.” She points at the fallen ghostly body of the blonde time traveler who has lost everyone and well on her way to depart from this unforgiving and bitter world and right into hell. “Forget about her. That isn’t you, anymore.” She looks over to Chloe and Kate, “Your new family and friends are here.”

Rachel shakes her head softly, her head quivers with straining pressure, “B-But… What about her? What are we going to do about her? That person is still me...” She looks at her own body in the other timeline. Even through the warping gloomy colors, it is still clearly her very own self from yesterday. “And, what about my mom? She is all alone...”

The freckled girl is quick with her words, almost like she has prepared for every remark the despondent girl has to say, “You just saw your mom. Your mother is recovering right now in her apartment. And, she is very happy that you visited her today.” She gives a comforting rub on the blonde’s shoulder, “You changed the path of Rachel already in this timeline to bond with her parents more.” 

“B-But…” Rachel’s head slowly weaves itself up, looking at the pulsating doorway back to her home, “Max…” She gulps, correcting herself, “Maxine…”

Max snorts, showing some contempt toward her counterpart, “I’m going to be better than that other Max. I promise.”

Rachel yanks on her long blonde hair, gliding her hand down to it ends. Her eyebrows quiver as if it is orchestrating her own song for the mentally insane. Everything about her existence is being questioned as nothing seems to matter anymore. Living in a world of lies has finally cracked the sanity in the blonde traveler.

“Liar… You’re a liar, Caulfield.” She smashes both of fists onto the yard. Her fingers twist through the blades of the grass just to yank them out of their roots, expelling her frustration, “You only have been putting this front because you want your fate with Chloe to be intact. Then, I may as well be buried in the junkyard like the other Rachel.”

The brunette winces, trying her best to hold her frustration from spilling out, “No, stop putting words into my mouth.”

Rachel pushes her body up to straighten back into a kneeling position and shifting her body to face her so-called best friend, “I don’t know… There’s something odd about you. Both you and Maxine could never be fully trusted.” She glares at her, “You don’t even have a single ounce of empathy for my life. All you care about is whatever it takes to make your life better.”

Max clenches her jaws, “Look at you, Rachel. You’re dead already!” She waves her hand at the moist grass in the shifting field of shades. “Look how much blood you lost. I mean, the only even possible sign of life that I can see on that body is some tears that are trailing down your face.” Her throat chokes momentarily as sorrow and grief interrupt her flustered mind for a moment, “But I think the minute you take over the body, you won’t even be able to rewind. You’re going to be dead. Gone. Forever.”

“I just have… a quick message to give to Mom.” Rachel’s breaths are weak in the cool late afternoon air, “Even a phone call or text message with my last dying breaths. It’ll be worth it to just tell her she has cancer.”

Max grips her hand, wanting to palm her face with it, as her options to take down Jefferson are dissolving away rapidly. She holds up her fingers in the air, “Three years later. What was the survival chance you said if it was caught three years later? Five percent?” She takes a deep breath to hold it in, as it troubles her to say it but she has to put everything in perspective. “Rachel, let’s be realistic. It is a _really_ low chance.”

“Shut up… she’s not—”

The brunette interrupts, “Rachel, stay in this timeline.” She points down at the lying body, “Forget about her. Forget about that past. Live with your mother here. And, with all of us.”

“My mom… I can’t leave her all alone. She is going to be in… a lot of pain...”

Max gulps her throat, squeezing her nose and feeling the fume expelling out of her nostrils. “Rachel, we need your help. I know Rachel in my timeline has some time powers but they’re probably not nearly as strong as yours. Fuck, I’m not even sure how that even works. That both you and _this_ Rachel have different powers.” She looks at the blonde’s shaky right hand, “But regardless, we will need it to take down Jefferson to secure our future.”

Rachel balls her fist, throwing a punch in the thick damp air, “Fuck this timeline.” She mutters in a low voice, then propelling herself back onto her feet. Her head scans quickly around the yard, “If I rewind all the way back with my time powers, will it include all the time jumps made in this timeline as well? Like… _this_ Rachel came from me originally, so… maybe this timeline would eventually become like my own timeline if I go far enough back?”

The words steadily churn the freckled girl’s stomach uneasily. Both Kate and Chloe looks on in absolute silent horror, just the idea of a tremendous time jump to change just about everything they know about their life.

“Rachel, you’re crazy. I don’t think it even works that way.” The brunette casts an incredulous stare at the blonde girl, unable to believe the words coming out of her mouth. She also pulls herself back up, “Also, what if you don’t rewind back enough and your powers give up? You’re going to toss me back in the timeline where Chloe and my parents are dead?” She exclaims with seething tone.

“Worth a try, I think…” Rachel grasps at the blue tattoo on her left wrist like she is applying pressure to stop her body from bleeding in her own timeline. Her blood is coursing through her rough veins as she begins making racing small circles in the yard, “Then I can go back to my mom.”

“You’re fucking crazy! Even if that works, you’re going to change my life completely. You’re going to change everyone’s life!” Max pinches her eyebrows together, “What?! I’m going to be some runaway with you? And Chloe?”

Rachel tucks her hands into her pockets, “Chloe will have her father…” She looks at the bluenette who has been quiet the entire time, “You wanted to see your father, didn’t you Chloe?”

Chloe wets her parted lips and her eyebrows lowering, “Dad?...” Her blue eyes are narrow and small, as the fierce argument between her two best friends has diminished almost all of her strength. The mention of her own father hardly cheers her up, as her heart is already shattered with what she feared the most. The destruction between her two best friends. And, that she will have to choose a side.

Max paces toward the punk, “But Chloe we are not going to be best friends. Instead, I would be Rachel’s…” Chloe looks back at the freckled girl with weak eyes. Feeling agitated, the brunette rejects such scenario and glares back at Rachel, “Fuck that shit! No way!”

“The fuck I care about your opinion, Max.” Rachel steps close to the other rival time traveler, “I don’t care about this timeline, anymore. I can do whatever the hell I want.”

“Not with me around, here.” Max shakes her head, gripping the air with her right palm, ready to use her own doomsday time powers, if necessary. “You may have stronger powers than I do, but I’m going to beat you down if you even dare to try it, Rachel. I’m serious...” The rush of invulnerability courses through Max’s body, as she needs to protect everything she cared for, even if it may tear a new storm into this timeline. “I’m fucking sick of this bullshit. I want to live my life the way it is meant to be.”

“The way it meant to be? You giving up Chloe for a town? Chloe getting shot by Nathan? Rachel overdosed and killed by Jefferson?” The fierce blonde scans her eyes at the fading sky then back into the blue eyes, “Your parents killed in a car accident? You want to live life the way it is meant to be. Then, let’s be fair then.”

“Fuck you, you wouldn’t...”

“Maybe I should, Max.” She presses her lips thin in a smug fashion, “You selfish shit. All you want right now is be with Chloe. You fucking gave up on Kate and tossed her to the side. Isn’t that right, Kate?” She turns to the quiet church girl that is cowering close to the tall bluenette. 

Both the spectating non time-travelers continue to be perfectly quiet, as they are humbled by terror. The rage between the two girls that have the powers to destroy everything in this world that they lived for in a split second. Paralyzed by fear, one wrong move or word could end everything. They’re nothing but witnesses to the looming apocalyptic events.

Rachel turns back to the other time traveler, “You said ‘Let’s us find our way home together’?” She scoffs the formerly touching words, “No, you’re just finding a home for yourself with Chloe. You ignore Kate’s feelings and mines.” She presses both her hands into her chest, as her voice wavers with the straining pressure, “How much I loved you and everything I’ve done for you!”

Max’s expression falters slightly, “Rachel, it isn’t just for me. It is for all of us.”

“No… fuck you.” Rachel sticks up her middle finger, “You can go back to the Dark Room yourself.”

The flush of heat sails up into the brunette’s body, stiffening her spine. She draws back a step, letting a chuckle, “I can see why Maxine left you. You really are messed up, Rachel.” She points at the lying body on the yard, “No matter what happens, you are going to be alone, Rachel.”

“Max…” Rachel widens her venomous hazel eyes, “Shut the fuck up. I’m serious.”

Max turns over the punk, “Chloe, no matter what happens, you will have my back, right?”

The bluenette dodges both of the stares that are being directed toward her, “Max, don’t you dare make me pick a fucking side...”

Max takes a step closer to her best friend, “Chloe, this Rachel isn’t the same Rachel you loved. The Rachel you loved…” She pauses for a moment, “...abandoned you. She loves Jefferson and Frank… Not you.”

A shiver of both conflicting truth and guilt twists into the spine of Chloe. As she crosses her arms, looking away coldly from the time travelers and seeking refuge with the more comforting presence of a sane person like Kate.

Rachel places her hand on her hip, “Oh, you want to destroy what’s left of us, huh?”

Max rolls her eyes, storming a quick circle around the yard, venting her shirt that is fuming with rage and shooting a glare at Rachel, “I’m so sick of this shit. If my powers cause tornadoes, then I’m just going to alert everyone in town before it. I don’t need you, anymore.”

“Fuck you. No one is going to believe you. I hope the tornadoes will kill everyone you love.”

The brunette’s eyebrows arch with sarcasm, “Rachel, you do know that we only gave a shit about you because you used your powers for us, right?” The anger in her blood combined feeling empowered by the idea of using her time powers again has tainted Max’s mind to throw every cheap stab at Rachel.

Kate takes a bold step forward, past Chloe, “Max, please stop it! Stop bullshitting right now!”

Rachel chuckles, bemused about why she ever trusted this person. “Fuck you, Max.” She grips her hand in the air, as a glowing sparkly flame cracks from it. “If I’m going to hell, I want to make sure I drag you down with me.” Max’s body freeze, partially entranced and intimidated by the fierce inferno that displays the true powers of the other time traveler. Rachel continues, “I want to see you suffer to a point to where you’re going to be driven off the edge… I wanna see that dream where you jumped off Blackwell Academy’s roof to come true.”

The words from Rachel suddenly silence the air around them.

A metallic smell engulfs in Max’s nostril as a torrent of blood begins pouring out. The fork of capillaries surfaces onto her fierce eyes, not at disturbed by her own bleeding. Rachel twitches slightly at the sight of this, but her rage continues to reinvigorate her body. The brunette doesn’t do anything to curb the bleeding as she glares back with ferocity, “As long as I will maintain my memories, I will always remember this about you. You are my enemy.”

Rachel looks at her own dazzling display of energy from her hand, “I still can use my powers. I don’t care if I’m dead and wandering around as a ghost... I want to see your two bitch parents die.”

Max’s eyebrows twitch to the provoking words. She points at the lying body in the time anomaly, “Maybe we should go to your timeline, together. So, I can see your mother’s reaction when you tell her she is going to die.”

Rachel gets close to Max, straightening her body to look down on her, puffing fuming rage of air onto the other time traveler. “Let me go back to my timeline.” For once, her voice is slightly more calm as she offers to end this once and for all by departing this timeline. In order to go back, they both need to be real close to the time anomaly, in order for Rachel to pass through the timelines. However, she throws in an extra threat, “Or we can go see your mother’s brain splatters across the windshield of her car.”

“Guys…” Chloe conveying with her most sympathetic tone but even she quickly extinguishes herself, seeing her own two friends already losing their remaining humane traits.

Max glares back at her, with piercing eyes. Her face is heated with unfathomed amount of rage that she cannot even feel the blood that trails from her nose. Her right hand shakes, feeling her powers still resonating strongly. 

She clenches her right hand, digging her nails sharply into her skin then sending her fist with erupting force into the side of Rachel’s neck, knocking her a few feet back. Her body sails very slowly as if it is viewed through the lens of a high-speed camera. Frame by frame, the hope of everything that is left in this timeline or any other timelines have been shredded. 

The entire scene is quiet and strangely tranquil feeling with the numbing spreading across the skin of the freckled girl. Her deathly eyes continue to gaze at the body of the time traveler crashing into the backyard.

A howling sting echoes into her eardrums. Her heavy breathings and pounding heart suddenly halt in time, freezing with everything in the moment. Her eyebrows arch and her pupils constrict, as she realizes what she has done, obscured by her own rage. Her eyes bury downward, seeing the swollen knuckles on her hand, still trembling with adrenaline. 

_It’s over for all of us… Everything is gone..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thanks for sticking around with this story. This is going to be my 1-year anniversary note, even though it is actually closer to my 13th month mark. So I’d throw in some random facts about how I started with this story and random facts later below after my notes for the chapter.
> 
> Sorry for the long delay on the chapter. Granted, this chapter was huge and absolutely overwhelming to write. Both in the length and ‘the feels’ department. My schedule is still very impacted and can only do so much in terms of writing this story. 
> 
> I know this chapter ended on a cliffhanger, as I had so much difficulty on figuring what is a good “breakpoint”. There were a lot of yapping among the girls that I personally wanted to have. Just to show their relationship and thoughts about everything, including recapping the previous (and confusing) chapter.
> 
> I know many people wanted the four girls to be in perfect harmony, but a tension between Max and Rachel was always something I wanted to build up toward ever since I started with the story. We will see what happens in next chapter, huh? ;)
> 
> In terms of time travel scenes, the concept of “Ouroboros” always something I focused on time travel powers. Though I avoid that term due to the highly popular fanfiction of that name haha. But the idea of endless creation and destruction fits in perfectly in a multiverse settings.
> 
> The idea of people being “left behind” and letting the consequences sink in versus refusing to deal with the consequence in favor for the creation of a brand new timelines is always been an underlying theme in my story.
> 
> Rachel’s thought about everything being a loop was kind of a theory people had with the original LiS, with the opening scene of the lighthouse falling onto Max as one of the many timelines, etc. Of course it isn’t a very desirable or popular opinion, but is it possible? Well, that’s the joy of the LiS universe. xD
> 
> Anyways, feel free to leave the comments. I know emotions are high in this chapter. Below is random facts about me and my experience with writing.
> 
> Some random facts as a writer about my story. I listen to random songs when I write. For chapter 1, I listened to that really sad Mass Effect 3 song "An End Once and For All". I also listen to a lot of melodic death metal/doom metal to have that darker/looming feeling. And Message To Bears "Find Our Way Home" which deserved a chapter title. Also, Eduard Frolov EFG and his awesome LiS inspired album. "Come to Me" is my favorite song off his album and that also has a chapter title. xD
> 
> Originally, this story was writing with Ren'Py, the same visual novel engine used by Love is Strange. But then I realized you need art for a visual novel. xD So I changed it to a pure fan fiction. The heading on top of each chapter, where it lists the Character's Name (Perspective), the Location and Time is inspired from one of my favorite game series of all time: Shenmue. Also, the horror game series Siren uses this formula. And, I just kept at it ever since.
> 
> My favorite two characters in my story are Kate and Alt Chloe. Sadly, the latter one didn't get much screen time, but I really enjoyed writing her. In fact, I got a commission of her from the talented Art-Kitt.  
> http://artkitt-creations.deviantart.com/art/Alternate-Chloe-680385274
> 
> 6/27/07 Update : Sorry for the delay, I've been working on the next chapter. It was very lengthy and there were parts I'm still not too fully pleased with. So, I'm going to split it in half and hopefully have the first half done by this weekend. And, the second half not too long after that.


	31. Departures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some VERY heavy themes, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence - 1F

#### March 21th, 2013 6:08 PM

A violent flurry of coughs shoots out of Rachel’s mouth, as her aching throat slowly stabilizes itself from the punch that she received from Max. She grasps at the side of her neck, trying to swallow the thick pulsating pain. Red haze glides across her vision, honing in on her former best friend. A stiff and incredulous laugh squeezes between her rugged breaths. Realizing that everything that her and Max built together has been shattered.

The freckled girl stands there, immobilized with contemplation to whether to strike again or flee. But running can’t be an option right now with a readied and enraged time traveler. Even if it hurts Rachel to use her powers.

“Stop it!” Kate cries at them with hardening in her stomach, shuffling her shoes and sliding to a complete halt in the proximity of the terrifying aura that engulfs the powerful time traveler.

Rachel rolls her head giving a crack to the neck and straightening her body, “You’re going to die.” She snarls, surging right past Kate and bludgeoning her body right into Max, colliding tightly together into a single mass. All the air inside of Max’s lungs expels as quick as the igniting speed of Rachel lunging at her. The joints that are scattered across the length of Max’s back crack almost in unison from the fierce impact. Her cry of pain is muffled beneath her quivering breaths that are compressed by the weight of Rachel.

Max knows that she deserved this, realizing that she has crossed the lines with her rage. As well as the reliance on her destructive powers that she does not want to use despite threatening to use it earlier. 

Rachel stands back up eclipsing over Max with her menacing shadow. She steps backward, dragging onto the other time traveler’s arm. Her first tug, yanks the frail body like a ragdoll, straining the tendons to squeeze tightly into her flesh. A shrill cry escapes from Max’s lips, as the whole side of her body feels like has been ignited from the shredding pain. Rachel gnashes back, “I’m gonna drag your decayed corpse if I ha-” Her rough voice gets cut off as her jaws snap tightly shut from a fierce blow by Chloe who sends her fist right into the back of Rachel’s skull. The blonde time traveler releases her grip, stumbling forward to land face first onto the yard. 

Chloe gasps, stunned and ravaged by her decision to defend her best friend with such a bold move. “Go take Max upstairs,” she commands the meek church girl as her tough expression quickly whimpers to a growing guilt as she had to hurt her other best friend. “I’ll take care of Rachel.” She clenches both of her trembling fists and standing with slumped effort over the fallen blonde girl.

“Uh… okay!” Kate obeys without hesitation through her muddled mind, dissipating the urge to provide any support for Rachel.

Max’s body judders through the throbbing pain that knits across her entire side. _Fuck! She almost ripped my arm off. She’s fucking mad right now. This isn’t good at all. I have to do something!_ Her heart is racing, filling with invigorating energy and terror with every gushing pump of blood that flows through her body.

Kate gathers all of her strength to pull Max back up on her legs, being extra careful to not aggravate the pain anymore. She guides with her shoulder as the two girls squeeze through the small sliding entrance together, entering back into the house, “Be careful, Chloe.” The helpful girl’s heart is pounding, reverberating across her rib cages as she catches a glimpse in the corner of her eye that the infuriated time traveler is rising up from the ground in small and slow increments. The warm and fresh trail of blood from Max’s nose already finding itself on the side of Kate’s neck and the collar of her light blue shirt.

Kate cringes at the disturbing sight of blood that is dripping onto her body but her words remain calm, accompanying with her frantic strides, “Eh… don’t worry! We will fix that nose bleed once we get to Chloe’s room.” Their feet scramble across the first floor of the house.

 _“They both are going to her apartment…”_ Vanessa’s spectral voice calls out to her out of thin air. The haunting continues, _“She denies it but I think she still cares for her a lot.”_

Max’s face lifts from Kate’s neck, “Mom…?” The house becomes dark, the penumbra of the shadows are stretching across on a limitless scale. The eerie chills of her mother’s voice cast a brief drop of oxygen in her head, distorting and crumbling her surroundings.

Kate halts for a moment, disturbed by the words but resumes her hurried rush, “Max?”

The freckled girl sniffs to resist the flow of the blood from slipping out of her nostril, “I heard mom…” Her body is still clouded with the terror, requiring more straining effort from the church girl to carry her. _This isn’t the first time I heard mom… Before the big reset, I also heard her voice right around this spot. This has to be my mom in Rachel’s timeline. Are my powers really becoming stronger?_

“Kate!” Rachel roars across the first floor of the house. She lets out a straining cry of frustration as she tries to wedge herself through the door but the tall girl pries her back. A grunt escapes through her rough throat, as she cannot wiggle out of the grasp. “Bring that bitch back here!” She yells with her demand, as she is pinned down at her location.

The hair bun girl casts an apologetic look at the mad woman. Mouthing the words silently, “I’m sorry…” She quickly guides Max out of sight and straight up the stairs, leaving the two older girls to clash away from them.

They both reach the top, with Kate fumbling her fingers to open the door into Chloe’s room. She gently guides the brunette into the room illuminated with a muted pink hue and closes the door behind her. They make their way to the middle of the room, huddling at the foot of Chloe’s bed.

Max rubs beneath her nose to absorb every drop of blood onto the remaining clean skin of her fingers. Kate stands back tall to circle around the bedroom, seeking for something to help stop the bleeding. The freckled girl squeaks through the pulsating blood vessel on her throat, “Holy motherfucking shit… She really is a fucking monster.” Her heavy breaths cascade into a full rhythm as she can finally catch it in this brief moment of calm. Or at least as tranquil it can ever be with the current situation.

Kate continues scanning in silence, avoiding contact to hide the inevitable welling of her eyes. She is on the verge of losing her newly made friend but she would never guess it would spiral to this level. Her determined will to assist Max drives her but deep down inside, she is slowly sinking down into her own personal conflicted hell like Max and Rachel.

Max’s phone begins buzzing through her jeans. Already, she wishes for it to go straight into the voicemail but she isn’t patient enough to wait for it. She brings out her phone, seeing that it is her mother calling her.

A streak of lightning sails up her spine, shuddering out a twitch in every muscle of her body as it is traveling. She cannot get out of her mind about that eerie phone call from her mother that she picked up in her dorm in the previous timeline. 

Not even daring to pick up to verify if she has completely gone insane, she silences the phone and flips it over to hide the illuminated screen. The brunette continues, her voice muffled from being buried by her hand, “Mom called me. I couldn’t help but think about earlier when she called after the accident.” Her eyelids are getting weak, as her body is suffering from the refractory period from the explosive anger. The tone is soft, “She called even though she was already dead.”

Kate halts in her track, peeking over her shoulder. Her glazed look seems she is preoccupied with many things on her mind, “Maybe your powers are growing and having other side effects?” It sounds odd for the Christian girl to even say those words. As in general, it contradicts the idea of the afterlife in Kate’s beliefs.

“Are they stronger or I’m becoming more insane?” Max’s eyes scan to the left letting the ghostly white light from the windows to constrict her faded pupils. “This world is going to end.” She looks back to the door, listening with intent in the still house. There is shouting that is muffled through the wooden floor, as both of the older girls have moved inside the house but staying downstairs for the time being. _What if Rachel is going to toy with me? She really can send this timeline back to where my parents are already dead._ The small hairs on the back of her neck rise at the thought about her bold best friend that is defending against this monster. _And Chloe? As explosive temper as she can be, I know she’s going to struggle because she loves Rachel. Even if it is the wrong one. And, Rachel is going to take advantage of this._ A weak twitch reverberates across the height of her body, “We have to get rid of Rachel. You know we have to.”

Kate snatches quickly a handful of tissues from Chloe’s desk then returning back to the girl that is kneeling on the ground. “Max, I think we all have to stick together…” With care, she squeezes with ample pressure so the blood can coagulate to stop the bleeding.

Max’s voice rumbles against the tissue, “I tried to fucking tell her…”

The blonde shakes her head profusely, swinging the loose locks of hair, “I know you did. But you have to keep trying.”

“Fuck that…” The brunette scoots backward, pressing her back against the bed, “The Rachel that is from _this_ timeline? Yes, I’ll help her. But...” She directs her finger down at the floor, “...that _monster_ that is downstairs? No! We’re going to bury that devil once and for all. You are forgetting how crazy her powers are.” Her pointing finger changes into a clenched fist. “I know I was talking big earlier, but I rather avoid using my powers, if possible.”

Kate presses her lips, digesting the cruel words, “She’s very frustrated and lonely. If you could look past-” Her voice stops, as she notices the freckled girl is clearly preoccupied and not listening at all.

“Maybe…” Max’s voice trails into a deep ponder. “We can lure her back to that anomaly. Then, she will depart from this timeline…” She thinks how drained Rachel must be and on the verge of death back in the other timeline. A sting of frost sails up to her head, seemingly sucking all the air around it. “...Forever.”

The church girl shudders at the plan, “Max, please take that back. Look at what you’re saying.” Her voice is on the verge of a panic, “This isn’t you at all, Max.”

The brunette cranes her head, looking at the pile of mess scattered across the floor in the room, “I know…” Her voice is distant like how she feels with her own self. Her insatiable hunger of rage seems to have severed her soul from her own body. Not at all thinking straight with about anything in this world. “When this thing blows over and you guys want to stay away from me...” Her voice quivers through her tight throat, “I will understand if you do.”

Kate scoots closer, cradling the freckled cheek, “No, I’m going to stick by your side.”

Max sobs against the touch, “You have no idea. Time travel powers are absolutely insane.” She also joins Kate’s hand with her own hand, “It is worse than some lunatic armed with all of the nuclear powers in the world.”

Kate lowers her eyebrows, who is still squeezing the nose of the freckled girl, “Fortunately, none of you guys are lunatics. You guys both have moral beliefs. You may need a nudge in the right direction. And something tells me that you are the only one that can save her.”

A loud cascading crash can be heard downstairs, as the fight below has escalated between Rachel and Chloe, instilling a copious amount of fear into Max’s heart. “Fuck that… She is a lunatic.” She draws her head back, forcefully grabbing the tissue away from Kate’s hand so she can squeeze her own nose, “Seriously, don’t put this on me. I’m not helping that bitch. Let her go die in her fucking timeline.” 

Kate cringes again to the harsh words that are spewing from Max. She continues, ignoring the shroud of negativity that sails into the musty air of the room. “Deep down inside, Rachel is a very good person.” The church girl’s remains full of patience and warmth, “She did this for all of us. She is lonely and sad. And, she really wants to be with you.”

The time traveler shrugs, “What if you’re wrong? Then she puts you in a timeline where you are trapped and doomed. What if you have to relive that whole incident of having your video being posted on the internet and getting bullied by everyone you know including your family and church group?” A trickle of blood slips between her fingers, inching down sluggishly to her lips. She licks it to stop it from overflowing, tasting her own blood.

Kate gulps her throat, letting out a distressing soft shudder that coats with her voice. A brief reminder of how it felt to be placed at the very edge of her life churns her stomach with discomfort. She wants to have faith with Rachel, especially after their sweet talk together but it is almost all gone after the fight between the time travelers as everyone’s true colors are beginning to show. She leans her head forward, “But what if I’m right? I know I don’t have time powers but I feel we are all equally at a loss with this situation.”

Max pinches her eyebrows together, “Kate, you’re being lured by Rachel. You’re being mesmerized by her.”

“Maybe I am.” The blonde girl shrugs half-heartedly, “You’re right. We may not be able to save Rachel when she returns to her timeline.” Her eyebrows lower with despondent, feeling the hopelessness of losing that person that saved everyone.

The freckled girl looks on, showing a lack of sympathy on her face. “If she is dead, she will not come back to seek revenge on all of us. She is our real enemy, not Jefferson.”

“Max…” Kate softens her voice, lifting her index finger up to hush the other girl, “I know you’re very mad. But listen to the words you are saying. Do you really want her to be dead?” Max presses her lips tightly, realizing that her anger has truly driven her completely mad. Kate continues, “Two nights ago back at your dorm, you were thinking about how you cannot move on with your life anymore with your time powers. You felt all alone with this power. Knowing that you could save your parents and Chloe.” She lets out a sigh through her tight throat, “But at the same time, you cannot save them because you’re afraid you will cause another tornado. Rachel may not have ensured a perfect clarity with our future, but she has given us a hopeful chance.” She twirls her index finger around, “With all of us to be united together.”

Max looks on with watery eyes, mainly triggered by the excruciating pain that is slowly phasing itself in as the numbness fades away. 

The angel continues, “Can you truly live this life without any regrets? Do you truly hate Rachel that much?”

Max squeezes her eyes closed, “I know I’m not thinking straight. But I’m very scared, Kate.” She opens her eyes, looking straight at the closed door to the bedroom. “She is hurting Chloe right now. And, she is going to come for me. You may be in danger, too.”

Kate nods her head with a steady gaze, looking over her shoulder. “I’ll talk to her, Max.”

A torrent of footsteps scrambles upward at an alarming pace, thumping almost in unison with both girl’s heart. The door swings open, with Rachel standing in the doorway, breathing heavily with glaring eyes at her target. Her plaid jacket is taken off, so she is down to her white sleeveless shirt. There are no visible bruises on her face or body, but she is greatly worn down, with puffy and fatigued eyes. Her furious eyes do hide a bit of the suffering and buried sorrow.

A shadow casts onto her, as Chloe appears right behind her grasping at Rachel’s shoulder. Her pale body is stiff with her tiptoeing. The core portion of her body is aching with pain as if she received a blow that knocked the wind out of her. “R-Rachel…” She clenches her jaws and squeezing her eyes closed against the excruciating pain. “Don’t…” Despite her punk attitude, she doesn’t want this fight to continue among the girls.

Max stiffens her neck, calling her with concern, “Did you hurt Chloe?”

The blonde time traveler strides forward, easily releasing the grasp of the bluenette moving toward the center of the room while the punk cringes in pain trying to trail her but at a much slower pace. “‘Did you hurt Chloe?’” Rachel mocks at the girl, “Yeah, I basically fucked her up.” She pushes her words with difficulty, as it is evident that she is also in a lot of pain with her encounter. “And…” She sneers with a straining throat, “...we also fucked each other this morning while you were on that train ride to Portland.”

The freckled girl’s eyes light up, provoked by the words. She always has been jealous of Rachel, even in the previous timelines. Because she was Chloe’s new best friend and far more beautiful than she is.

The bluenette scoffs out a lingering sharp pain from her chest. “Don’t listen to her.” 

Max remains quiet but unable to heed the advice from her best friend as it slowly dwindles away at her strength.

Kate stands up firmly and advancing a few steps to close the gap.

Rachel flinches her face, as the rest of her body is still rooted from the throbbing pain she is in. “Get out of my way, Kate…”

The religious girl stands firmly, not letting down her front, “I’m going to stop you, Rachel. I love you too much to see you get hurt like this.”

The blonde girl’s eyebrows raise, “Aww, the little girl is conflicted with her sexuality and going to sin against her own beliefs? So, you love me, huh?” She advances right up to the angel stopping only a foot in front of her.

Kate clenches her fist together, pressing firmly against her own belly. “I do.”

Rachel rolls her eyes, “Well… too bad.” She snorts out her nose, flowing her long blonde hair, “I would never go for a girl that would never put out. I’m not settling down with a fucking loser that practices sexual abstinence.”

The hair bun girl’s eyes twitch, “Stop it.” Her voice is delicate but already being tortured by the cold words from this girl. “You’re saying that only to make me upset.”

“If you say so.” Rachel reaches in to flick the gold cross on Kate’s necklace, startling her, “You are fearing the wrong God, Kate. You think your fucking God can do the things I can do?” She balls her right hand, “You are in charge of the bible study and abstinence club. You are probably the only loser in it. Am I right?”

“That… hurts… _a lot._ ” Kate presses her lips tightly. The piercing words are like razor spikes scraping into the fragile heart of the angel. “Rachel, take that back.”

“I’m not taking anything back, you bitch.” Rachel grabs the puffy face of the angel, “What? You like me, huh? Do you like this?” She sticks out her tongue, sliding it up the height of Kate’s neck. 

The conservative girl winces from the motion, her body trembles against this assault, but she bites the inside of her lower lip, toughening it out as much as possible. “Stop it…” She squeezes her eyes closed to mask the horrid that lies in it.

“Dude, you’re fucking crazy.” The bluenette hisses through her clenched teeth. She sways her body forward, but reluctance and pain glue her boots to the floor momentarily.

The angered time traveler shoots again, repeating herself, “You like this, huh?” She sails her fingers, feeling Kate’s bra strap through her shirt, then honing close to the curve of the angel. But her hand stops before making contact with Kate’s breast, as her own internal guilt begins pecking away at her smug attitude.

Kate winces, bracing for Rachel’s touch. She squeaks out, still with closed eyes, “No matter what happens, you can always… drift back to me.” Her eyes open up, as she reiterates the warm and bold words that she has spoken to Rachel earlier at the driveway.

Rachel draws her hand back, stuffing it back down by her side, “Stop it!” Her fierce front slowly wavers away into remorse for her actions. For this moment, even the flames that coat her eyes cannot harm or break this angel with a heart of pure gold. “Why… are you like this with me?” She expels out with frustration with her hands trembling, wanting to slap this girl for being too kind to her.

Kate swallows the lump in her throat, regaining some of her composure. She wraps her arms tightly around the stiff girl, “I know you’re very sad, Rachel. And lonely.” She sniffs her nose, caving her face over Rachel’s shoulder and pressing against her cheek, “You know I’m scared of you but you also know how I feel about you.” Her voice cracks with the tightening pressure that wears around her neck. “Those things that you said about my stupid clubs and beliefs, they are true. They are very true.”

“They’re not stupid.” Rachel murmurs under her breath, drifting her head toward the ceiling, trying the hold the tears over her eyes for a few moments longer from flowing down her cheeks, “Kate, you know how I feel…”

The angel nuzzles her face to clear up the blurriness from her puffy eyes, “I’m not going to fight you because I know how this is going to end. So, I won’t get in your way.” She blindly fumbles her hand to grab the wrist of Rachel. “I know I’m not the type of person you like to be around with. But thank you for pretending.”

The blonde time traveler leans her face in, wiping her tears into the hair bun, “I’m not pretending. I was never pretending…” She twins her fingers with Kate’s, whispering into her ear, “But you should go back to your parents, right now. Get away from here...”

The sweet angel’s nose wrinkle with the warm touch, but it quickly gets replaced with dread, “No, I’m staying to watch.” She releases the grasp, taking a single step back. With slumped shoulders, she sends out a silent indicator that she is letting down her defense, exposing the two time-travelers to confront each other.

Rachel presses her lips tightly, taking a step away, then slowly turning her glare right at her target.

Quickly sensing trouble, Chloe hobbles over, skipping in her strides to finally grasp weakly at her friend. “Rachel…”

Max quietly stands up tall with her arms tucked behind her back, but still imposing a strong stance. Kate slowly raises her head looking at the photographer, but feeling it is fruitless effort to persist any longer in this ordeal. The freckled girl speaks with stunted effort, “You can go back to your timeline.” She hides her wincing the best she can, knowing she didn’t try hard enough to mask the words that sound like a surrender. Her hands are still feeling the pain of being tackled back in the yard. Her lips are pressed and her nostrils are flaring with warm blood still dripping with infrequent intervals. A mixture of desperation and rage slowly consumes into the small girl’s body, eating away at her sanity.

Max has seen many deaths and disappointments. She isn’t the shy Blackwell student anymore. In fact, she isn’t an ordinary human being anymore. At least, in what she thinks and how she feels about everything in this world. She has seen things that she can never unsee. Her mind will never heal, as it will always be ravaged with gloom and despair.

Rachel’s lips return back to the smug look, “Fuck that. After the shit you said about me and my mother...” Her eyebrows twitch, seeing how nonchalant Max is acting right in front of her. She runs her hand up on the neck, which is where the freckled girl struck her as well as being reminded how much she has been abused and played in both timelines. 

These thoughts of resentment easily funnel itself down Rachel’s throat, imbuing her right hand with ferocity. She takes a quick step forward and sweeping it across the air to slap Max squarely across her cheek. The sound of the impact is so intense and sharp that it sounds like the skin is being uprooted from the girl’s own flesh.

Max falls laterally onto her knees from the glowing impact, quickly grasping at her burning cheek which feels like thousands of needle puncturing her skin. Trickles of blood are flung across the ground from the hit.

The blonde traveler takes another step to get a proud and closer glare at the dazed fallen girl.

“Okay, enough of this bullshit!” Chloe wraps her arms around Rachel, restraining the girl from proceeding.

Kate shouts meekly, “Stop!” Still paralyzed and stubborn on how to even intervene with the situation.

Rachel with her arms locked but continuing to curse at Max, “The next time something shitty happens. Whether it is you being in the Dark Room, or at your parent’s funeral, I want you to remember this pain and how much I fucking hate you.” She clenches against the tight lock that the taller girl is putting her into. She adds, “And, that you deserved all of this.” She bites the inner of her lips, tilting her head to the side, “Let go of me! You going to protect this heartless selfish bitch?”

Max winces away, hissing against the sharp and engulfing pain on her face as her body falls flat against the wooden floor. Underneath Chloe’s bed is an array of mess and junk items, but her bong stands firmly right within grasp of the photographer.

Rachel throws her elbow right into Chloe’s ribcage, forcing the punk to release her hold to tend to her bruised ribs that she obtained earlier. The furious time traveler continues with another slam of her fist into the ribcage, sending Chloe to stumble backward and letting out a piercing cry slipping out of her hoarse throat.

_Chloe! She’s hurting Chloe!_

“Rachel!” Kate finally steps forward, grabbing her to turn around. “Please stop this!” She pleads. She doesn’t want to interfere but she cannot put up with this physical abuse between the girls.

With Rachel facing away, Max flips the bong that is underneath Chloe’s bed, angling and leading with the sturdy chrome plating base. Her breaths go silent and her heart as well for that very moment. Her panic and instincts grip tightly onto the weapon and she swings it as hard as she can without any hesitation, smashing into the back of Rachel’s skull, resonating a much louder sound than expected. The blond time traveler lets out a sharp gasp that freezes all the blood inside of Max’s body in pure horrid. Rachel’s body stumbles forward, crashing right into Kate and landing on top of her.

“Max!” The bluenette cries but her body freezes in place. “Rewind… Erase...” Her sobs choke up, wanting to demand Max to use her own powers to reset everything but realizing it is pointless. She cannot ever unsee what her best friend did. Max, who used to be the cute and sweet girl back in the days when they were dressing up as pirates. Now, the torment has casted several eclipses into Max’s mind, afflicted by her experiences with time travel.

Kate wheezes for air as the impact of Rachel’s body briefly knocked the wind out of her. She groans in pain, gently rolling the unconscious model off from her body and onto the floor beside her. Her heart is pounding through her tight chest that she cannot even speak or protest.

Max drops the bong, clanging onto the floor against some other glass shards. She looks at the unconscious girl that lies motionless in front of her. Then, her horrifying stare lowers to her own bloodied palm, who is trembling with pure regret and terror. The amount of pressure she gripped, combined with the impact has shattered a portion of the glass section of the bong, shredding the skin on her hand. The amount of blood frightens her but not nearly as much of what she did. _What… have I done…?_

The room is deathly silent, as everyone is at a loss for words. Perhaps, the slightest squeak will wake up the angered blonde time traveler that is capable of destroying everyone that lies in this timeline.

“We…” Max gulps her throat, as her voice is more quiet than the pounding inside her chest. Her eyes scan the fallen body, making sure she is still out cold. “We have to take her to the backyard.” She squeaks, not even certain if Chloe and Kate can even hear her voice. “...Right now. And, pray I can push her back to her own timeline before she gets back up.” She stands up with a tremble to her weakened legs as she picks up both of Rachel’s sneakers, lifting her legs. “Or, it is over for all of us. Are you guys going to help me?”

Both Kate and Chloe gaze in silent with horrified looks with a sense of doom that no one’s actions will even matter. Both of their eyes darting between the two time-travelers, baffled how real the fury between the girls is.

Max doesn’t wait for any reply and is set to finish her task by herself. As cruel as it may be. She continues, leaning back her body to pull the slim figure of the model. Rachel isn’t too heavy and the adrenaline and desperation fuel the freckled girl’s determination. She has to save this timeline from her unforgivable actions. She stops to examine closely at the blue eyes of her best friend, “Chloe?”

“Max…” The punk’s eyebrows lower, completely despondent and unable to say anymore.

Max looks down at her hands, seeing the continuation of the stream of blood that is dripping from her nose. And, even more blood being smeared onto Rachel’s sneakers from the bloodied hand. Her pupils constrict, realizing what kind of person she has become. All thanks to this time powers and selfishness.

Earlier, the punch outside the backyard was an impulsive mistake. And now, the attack with an actual weapon is definitely going to be one that completely annihilates the bridge between the time travelers. _Chloe… and Kate will never forget what I’ve become. I have become a monster. Like with everything in life, I could never fit in with people. And, I will carry this to my grave._

Regret and remorse flood into her mind, but she is desperate for the final solution to toss Rachel back into her timeline and pray she will never return to retaliate. Kate speeds toward the tall punk, wrapping her arms around the only other sane person in this room, whispering something to her.

Max makes it out of Chloe’s room and into the hallway with Rachel’s body, as she stops to get a breather and another harsh reality check of her current situation. 

_“Little Max!”_ A ghostly howling voice draws into her ears, pricking her ears with even more regret.

A plume of wind caresses the skin of Max, directing her across the hallway. The shadows in the hall blacken to dilate her pupils. Flickering images haunt into her mind of her very first physical contact with this Rachel under the night sky back outside the dormitory. It was lovely back then. But now, she is only doing this to preserve the future for Chloe and her parents.

The scene returns back with a vibrant of colors, as Max returns her stare at the body she is holding. Rachel’s hazel eyes are now opened and awakened, glowering right back with a fierce expression. 

Max’s heart stops as chills war against her spine. Almost instinctively, she gently lowers Rachel’s legs, letting it fall to the ground as terror holds onto her tongue at the breathless moment.

Once her sneakers hit the ground, Rachel propels her body upward with raging speed, gripping onto the bloodied wrist of the other time traveler. Digging her nails precisely into the cuts until a blood-curdling scream erupts out of Max’s mouth. The blonde’s eyes twitch in delight at the cry of agony, relishing this painful moment that her former best friend is experiencing.

“Rachel!” Chloe pushes with difficulty out of her lungs, hobbling out of the door meekly.

Rachel shoves Max to the side but still maintaining her grasp. She directs her attention to the girl that is approaching and stomps right into Chloe’s rib cage again, aggravating the pain even more and sending her to stumble backward to crash into the wall.

“Chloe!” Kate hurries to tend to the fallen girl.

Rachel cranes her head robotically like a psycho and slides her hand up to hold Max by her neck, contemplating if she should crush the freckled girl’s throat with her grip. The fearless brunette bites down her jaws, breathing with seething intensity herself. She snarls through her raspy voice and through the strangling, “Fuck you…” She continues even through the ample amount of pressure on her throat, “No one in either timeline will ever want you anymore.” Rachel’s grip weakens slightly through the soul-crushing words, allowing Max’s voice to become even more clear and gutsy. “And, you fucking know that. You can flaunt your powers but we will remember who you are. I’ll make sure of that.”

The blonde girl tilts her head with smugness, her eyes are watering from the pulsating pain still discharging from the severe bruise that is buried underneath her long hair from the impact where Max struck her with the bong. Rachel’s chest is heaving from her heavy breaths with this brief moment of silence. She is still shocked that this very person that she has helped this entire time would even attack her with a weapon then attempt to drag her body to toss her back to rot in her doomed timeline.

Everything has truly disappeared between Max and Rachel. Nothing means anything anymore. No more point to show any sympathy or kindness toward each other. Not anymore.

This fuels Rachel into a boiling rage. She pushes Max back, then slamming her feet against Max’s body. The amount of centrifugal force sends the small body tumbling down, crashing its frail body into the hard steps of the stairs. At the last few steps, the body gains a few more fractions of a second of air time before Max smashes into the ground onto her head, compressing her neck from the heavy impact.

Max’s lower body dangles uncomfortably, bucking slightly into the air. Everything in her body suddenly feels numb yet in a tremendous amount of pain. Her limbs feel like it is being electrocuted with flames, as the nerves between her tissues connect and disconnect at rapid intervals.

The blonde time traveler quickly races down the stairs to follow up, pressing her sneaker against the fallen body, “I don’t want you to ever remember me for the person that saved you. I want you to remember me as the demon that will end your world.” She applies more pressure to her feet against the juddering body, “You fucking got it?!”

A drowning flood of footsteps rushes down the stairs. Kate exclaims toward her, “Rachel!”

Chloe, who is no longer fazed by her ribs. The adrenaline and anger have soothed the pain, empowering her body to defend her friend, “Max!” She reaches to the bottom, shoving Rachel into the ground. She snarls at her, “Stay away from her!” Directing her attention back to her fallen friend, whose body is shuddering like it is convulsing. “Oh my god, is she paralyzed?”

Rachel pushes herself up on all four, snapping toward the direction of the fallen girl with a glare. Max’s body continues to shudder helplessly, with her lips quivering with quick puffs of shallow air with great difficulty in breathing. Her blue eyes gaze into the ceiling despite Chloe is directly in front of her.

The fierce time traveler’s eyebrows lower, as her energy and rage have been depleted, leaving only nothing but penitence and pain left. The powerless eyes of Max slowly prick away and instilling more remorse. 

Having no options left, Rachel clenches her right fist against the carpet with a red wave expanding quickly and spreading like an inferno among the girls. But it isn’t a real flame. It is Rachel’s powers exploding into the area and that she is going to use it. 

Max’s faint and heaving breaths squeak at the glowing sight, realizing the end is near, “Stop…” She wheezes as the rest of her numb body shivers against her own will, “...her.”

All of the sudden, everything moves rapidly backward at shuttering motion until everyone is back in the backyard. The blood and the bruises from all the girls are no longer there as the time has rewound back to prior the fights.

Max quickly falls down to her knees, as she still cannot feel the nerves to fully control her body. The tearing and throbbing phantom pain still lingers in her body. Rachel leans forward to grab her and support the brunette’s body. But she also falters, letting her own piercing cry, grasping at the blue star tattoo on her left wrist.

Rachel squeezes her eyes closed, but there’s rapid movement underneath her eyelids like she is stuck in a trance from the result of using her powers. Max also hangs onto Rachel, furrowing her eyebrows from the abnormal sensation and barely even able to see through her squinted eyes.

 _Shit… we’re back in the yard. And we are right up next to that anomaly._ With straining effort, she tries to open her eyes little wider, getting a better view of the blonde time traveler who is still emitting the sparkling energy. _Should I push her in? This is my only chance to get rid of this psycho._ With weak effort, she tries to clench her fingers, digging her nails into Rachel’s arm to gather enough strength to shove this person in. But quickly her energy diminishes, losing all of her sense. 

Instead, Max’s arm give one last final twitch, feeling the phantom paralyzation setting into her body, forcing her to release the blonde time traveler, letting her fall forward into the gray whirling dome, emitting a bright flash that also knocks Max out.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence - 1F

#### March 21th, 2013 6:22 PM

The chirping of the birds and the faint sounds of cars passing by through the window that is propped open to let a soothing breeze that caresses the droplets of sweat that trickle across Max’s face and neck. Her rampant mind is still scorching her body, elevating the heat to awake from her slumber with a strained exhale erupting from her lips. A wave sends through Max’s body, as her muscles involuntarily follow the undulating motion to her almost completely numb body.

“Max,” Kate calls to her with calmness. She cradles her head bringing an olive green mug up to her lips. “Here’s some water. You’re dehydrated.” Her gentle voice and touch easily instill some energy for Max to lift her head to angle slightly to drink from the mug. She gulps quickly, downing the entire mug to quench her thirst, puffing out a relaxing sigh.

Kate brings the mug back, “Would you like some more?”

The thirst is still real but by habit, Max doesn’t like to burden anyone with her needs, “No, I’m good. Thanks, Kate.”

Kate beams with a content sigh, giving some space by falling onto her butt. “No problem. I’m glad you’re awake. I think you had a nightmare or something.”

The freckled girl with a flushed face glows to the words. Rousing to a panic state, she no longer feels her neck being compressed but her body still remains rooted down from the sensation of the paralyzation. “Wait…” She stiffens her body with faded presence, “Was this all a nightmare?” Uncertain what is even real anymore.

The hair bun girl flails both of her hands, “No! No! This is real. Doh! Sorry, poor choice of words. I know you’re a time traveler and all that...” She glances around the room, “You were out for a little bit after we went back to the yard.” Her hand caresses the tan colored couch that the brunette is lying on, “Then, we carried both you and Rachel back in the house.” She repeats herself, reiterating her point, “Don’t worry, this is real!”

_Whew… Kate’s shirt isn’t covered with my blood anymore._

“My body…” Max lets out a straining groan that comes out of a minuscule amount of breaths that squeeze forcefully out of her weak lungs.

“Does it still hurt?” Chloe’s concerned voice comes out of nowhere, following with footsteps to close in swiftly onto her location. The tall girl emerges into sight, circling around the couch. “Shit…” She rushes and kneels real close to her best friend. Her fingers slip underneath the hipster, caressing her neck. “Are you alright? Can you feel this?”

The freckled girl coos to the soft touch, even against the residual pain that still resonates strongly throughout her body. “Y-yeah, I’m good. I can sort of feel my body but I need a minute.”

_Well, as good as I could be in this position._

Max’s eyes shoot open with the question, “Where’s Rachel?” She immediately gulps, recalling the brutal intense confrontation between them. Her body retracts slightly, wanting to take back her curious question. She eyes her tall friend, realizing she doesn’t seem to be in pain anymore or at least not showing much.

“Well…” The hair bun girl prods her two index fingers, then also straightening her body to look in the direction of the dining room.

“Come on, dude.” Chloe also lengthens her slender body to look over the couch and toward the kitchen.

“No.” A rather sharp and blunt response comes from out of sight.

The brunette slowly curls her body slightly. _Shit! That’s Rachel! I’m not quite in any condition to defend myself._ Her blue eyes dart between the girls noticing how relatively calm both Kate and Chloe are.

“Wow, get over here, girl.” The bluenette clenches her teeth faking a tough voice. She idly brushes her ribs from her shirt, surprised that the pain is no longer there. “I said… get your pretty tight ass over here.” Even though a few moments ago before Max blacked out, the punk had a furious attitude bent on wrecking everything around her. That has gone away, as she now maintains a carefree and playful nature with her blue eyes focusing across the room.

Footsteps creep cautiously as finally Rachel walks into the line of sight of Max sporting back her red plaid jacket. With a rather timid expression, she lowers her eyes with a glowing bloom on her face. Despite how nervous and awkward she is, somehow even her half smile reams with genuine beauty. “Uh… hi…” She tucks her hands underneath the jacket. There is something odd about her as there is a mixture of confusion, shyness, and joy in her expression.

 _The way she is smiling…_ Max blinks her eyes rapidly. _This isn’t that awful Rachel._ Her eyes sail down, stuck for a moment. _…’Awful Rachel’?_ She questions internally for a moment, then redirecting herself to this person. “Rachel…?” Her voice wavers with uncertainty, as a few moments ago this very person became the most terrifying person she has ever faced, surpassing even Jefferson. But now, even her body language and facial expression immediately distinguish herself from that _other_ Rachel. The Rachel that is full of anger and despair.

“You know me, Maxine…?” Rachel’s eyes light up, realizing she has made a mistake. Her eyes drift to the punk for a silent clarification then right back to the freckled girl. She gulps her throat, correcting herself in an adorable manner, “Erm… Max, right?” She asks politely.

“Yes.” Max smiles warmly clinging in desperation to every hopeful thing possible with this mythical person. _Holy shit… Holy shit! We did it! This is her!_ Her eyes flutter slowly, getting a grasp of everything she knows in regards with this person as well as her time travel and adventures. “I prefer Max but you can call me Maxine, too.” She lets out a cheeky smile, acknowledging the fact that she had a strong history with this beautiful person in the past, even if she doesn’t personally remember anything about it. _This Rachel… This Rachel is one I never met before. She has gone through a lot as well. She can call me whatever she wants. I’m glad to finally meet her._

Chloe gets back up, retreating a few steps to stand right beside the model. A sunny grin emerges from Rachel, “Are you feeling okay? I guess both you and I were out for a bit-” She gets interrupted, letting out a soft yelp as the tall punk grabs her from behind and shoving it closer to the brunette.

“Get closer you two.” Chloe bares her teeth with a sly smile and even overdoing it. “Kiss and make up already you time traveling jerks.”

Rachel swallows her throat, cringing at the forced awkwardness, trying to weasel herself away, “Chloe...” She mumbles quietly with a trace amount of disapproval, feeling a sultry flush.

Max’s voice becomes bolder to propagate some trust into the popular girl. “Rachel…” She slowly wiggles her body closer to the edge which feels like a thousand pounds. With courage, she waves her fingers to signal the gorgeous girl to come closer. 

Rachel hesitates for a moment, with lips quivering with shyness. Her eyes begin welling up, becoming red and puffy. There is an immeasurable amount of joy that is on the verge of spilling out from her hazel eyes. So many questions are racing through her mind, unsure of how to even react with anything. Slowly, she makes her way, kneeling right beside the freckled girl’s face. Without any more consideration, Max leans closer to nuzzle her cheek into Rachel’s. 

_I don’t know why but I feel so… happy to see her._

The blonde again hesitates awkwardly for a moment with a confused expression but seeing how relieved Max feels, it slowly begins to feel right to join her as well. To share this magical and touching moment. This is her best friend and someone that she loved. The person that she had to leave behind a very long time ago. 

As the air becomes more toasty, Rachel continues to reciprocate the feeling back more and more, remaining her face close by the hipster. Max doesn’t care this person is an enigma or a stranger. After what she has been through, she is bursting in need of comfort to feel secure. She fumbles her fingers to brush the jay earring on Rachel’s left ear then tracing her finger all the way to her right ear. She speaks soft, with a teasing whisper, “Time travel is a mind fuck, isn’t it?”

“Yes! It is…” Rachel laughs, muffled through the intimate contact between the girls, “How the fuck do you have powers?” She asks with a toothy grin, finally no longer feeling alone that she is the only lonesome time traveler. There is someone that can understand the painful journey that she had to endure. And that person is her old best friend.

“I… have no fucking idea. It kind of just happened...” Max joins in with her own giggle. _Wow… she’s so sweet. So, did that other Rachel get booted off to her timeline? I felt so weak when she rewound back. I’m not sure if I pushed her or she fell back in on her own._

“If you’re here…” The blonde time traveler’s voice reverts back to show more sternness, drawing her head back slightly. “...then something must have happened. Are you from the future?”

Max lets out a nervous sigh, not even sure how to even explain it. “I am.” Her body curls slightly as her body is still pounding in pain.

Rachel’s eyebrows lower, her lips mouthing inaudible words. She brushes her jay earring, “Can you tell me what happened?” She examines the length of the body of the hunched girl. “You look like you’re in pain. Were you hurt before you used your powers?”

The freckled girl presses her lips tightly, “It is a long story. I’m not sure if I can…” Her eyes shy away, drifting back to her tall friend wanting to dodge any depressing topics. She wants to enjoy this kindling moment for now, as she feels she deserved it.

Chloe looks onto Rachel with a rather blank look, pondering for a little bit. _Chloe… I can tell she has an insane amount of questions to lay onto Rachel. From her time travel powers to her relationship with Frank and Jefferson._ The bluenette blinks slowly, with a sly and cunning smile, “Yawn...” She opens her mouth inhaling deeply, “Let’s just… fucking grab dinner, okay? I’m hungry and I’m treating…”

Max lets out a sigh of relief. _Ahh good! I was worried Chloe would quickly erupt into Rachel’s face with everything. I’m glad she also agrees with me that this isn’t the time!_ Chloe cranes her head, arching her eyebrows rapidly in a cute fashion, following with a wink.

Rachel points her finger between the two Arcadia Bay pirates. “Alright something happened-” Her voice gets muffled as Chloe quickly dashes over to cover her mouth from speaking anymore. The blonde resists, gasping for air, “No seriously, what happened?”

“Ahh!!” Chloe yells with a tantrum with her eyes closed. “Don’t question when I’m hungry.” She gives a playful chokehold that turns into a frisky hug, whispering something into Rachel’s ear.

Max looks on with a smile, feeling content to see her best friend and the beautiful Rachel are happy together. Then again, what happened earlier could have gone much worse. _So, this Rachel is back… the real Rachel. The other one is gone..._

Kate looks back with a smile herself, with a cheery expression. “Let’s go, Max.” Surprisingly, the church girl is very happy but maybe it is all a front. Or that she has no choice but to be happy. The Rachel that belongs in this timeline is finally back and Kate has to respect her as well. For now, maybe it is best to not bring the mood down during this reunion about the dreadful nature of that other Rachel.

_The way Rachel smiles is so beautiful. I feel like I’m at… home. I feel like I finally have control now._

Rachel and Chloe pinch each other cheeks. While they are both pretty tough teenagers, they have a soft and sweet side that is buried within them. Kate watches with a soft smile, sitting politely on the couch.

 _This is quite the moment that I would like to capture._ With cautious movement, Max reaches for her bag that is sitting beside the couch, taking out her Polaroid camera. Again, feels like it has been forever since the photographer has held onto this tool to catch this majestic moment among the girls. She wets her lips, trying to channel all of her strength through her aching body to grip the camera, “Hey, can we take a picture together?”

The two punk-mannered girls halt their bickering and direct their full attention to the geek. Quickly, their playful clawing at each other rapidly turns into a bonding hug as they ease into a pose. “Sure!” Rachel cheers with a smile and the bluenette following immediately. “Cool! A Polaroid camera!”

“Yep, it is,” Max says proudly, scooting closer to the edge, letting her body slowly drop off the couch and landing onto the carpet. Kate carefully guides her by holding onto the hipster’s arm as the girls converge close together.

Max leans her stiff body at a slant, resting on both Chloe’s and Rachel’s laps. Squeezing close beside her is the beautiful angel that has been with her from the start of this ordeal. All the girls ready up with their most genuine and playful smile as the hipster hold the camera up high. “Cheese…” Max announces, with the other girls following after her before snapping the picture.

The motor in the camera whirls, spitting out the blank photo. The brows on the photographer arch up, anticipating what lovely picture will emerge out of it, but she has to be left hanging until it fully develops.

“Let’s get ready for dinner.” Chloe smiles, giving a playful jab at all the girls, trying to hype them up. 

Max secures her ticklish side, reaching to brings her bag closer to herself to take out her blue binder. She is eager to secure a worthy spot for her brand new photo.

Inside the binder are clear transparent sheets that hold and protect up to six photos each page. They are all full right now. Max eyes all of her previous works, zig-zagging across the pages and stopping at a particular photo.

It is the photo that she took earlier today at Blackwell Academy with all the girls. The photo with Rachel and Chloe pinning Max with their own kiss along with Kate tucked in the front. This is with the _other_ Rachel. The one that has left this timeline. The freckled girl bites the inside of cheek, pressing her fingers firmly against the film over it. Her eyes focus on it, causing the photo to slowly move slightly but it could be the tears slowly forming a thin layer over her eyes. She blinks to release the distortion, rousing her back to her senses. She takes out the photo, choosing it to be the one she will discard in favor for the new one.

_So… she’s gone forever, huh? She did rewind after she almost cracked my neck but still..._

Comparing the two photos side by side, with one still very slowly emerging with life. In this brief moment, she gazes between the two pictures. More and more it feels right, convincing herself internally that everything should be better now. Max lifts her head up, looking in the direction of the backyard and then back at the photos. _She did all of this for me..._

In her peripheral vision, Max senses Rachel sneaking a glance at her as their eyes connect. Their breaths are halted, filling with a tension between the girls. But it’s more of an anxious tension. There is a lot of unknown between them and there is going to be some catching up. 

Rachel beams at her, lightening up their brief moment with a radiant glow. Then, she lunges forward but stopping a single stride away from Max, glancing at the binder with her tongue sticking out, “Ooh, what do you have there?”

Max slams the binder shut with the two loose photos inside it, glowing with a nervous smile, “Oh nothing!”

Rachel gazes at the binder with a sly smile, arching her eyebrows. Before she can say anything, Chloe jumps into the conversation, “Max, you have that prom dress in my truck. Go wear it tonight!”

“My prom dress?” Max still entranced in her own thoughts, “Isn’t that a bit of a overkill for a Two Whales dinner?” She rips out a cheeky question, at the predictable dining location from the bluenette.

“Don’t hate! All the hicks are going to be checking you out.” Chloe smiles gleefully.

“Oh!” The hazel eyes of Rachel light up, “Wear it! I want to see.”

“Oh gosh…” Max rubs the back of her neck, then she sticks her tongue out with a nod to throw a bone at the two girls. The two older girls fist pump, high-fiving each other.

Kate presses her lips tightly, grinning with the usual smile you would expect from the angel. Her eyes drift to the side, glancing out toward the backyard. A small peek of how she truly feels on the inside with everything.

There is that churning in the void inside Max’s stomach. But, more and more she becomes enthralled in this moment of happiness. It is only a matter of time before it feels _right_. Perhaps the only thing they can all do for this moment is to be happy for each other. Unite and be together.

_Everything is still new. But I think I can get used to this. This is going to be my family from now on._

#### Rachel Amber

#### Inferno

Rachel pinches the bridge of her nose, biting down her jaws from her pulsating brain that is trying to ooze out of her eyes. Even with the immense amount of pain, she dares to peek right beside her. A ghostly hand of Max slowly fades away to darkness as she releases Rachel’s body to fall back into the anomaly of the abyss. 

_She pushed me..._

The blonde time traveler stares incredulously at the darkness for a moment, hoping for the arm to emerge back. She waits a little bit longer in this area of emptiness. Still nothing. _“M-Max…? Kate? Chloe?”_ She calls out. Despite in a seemingly opened area, her own voice echoes back, fluttering against her rib cages. She cranes her head around slowly, seeking if there is anyone else around. Nothing.

Suddenly, a rumble coats her eardrums that slowly stirs her pupils to constrict and expand at quickening pace to the bleak surrounding. She isn’t in Chloe’s backyard anymore. A gray smelting haze reaches beneath her nose, as well as dampening the dark plain in front of her. 

There is no horizon, yet it feels like she is tilting down onto something. Suddenly, what seems like a time rift begins to shift toward her at a delicate pace. The scene bleeds with intensity more and more. The more clear it becomes, the more she begins dreading this dark omen.

She is back at Blackwell Academy, in front of the dorms where she first met Max from the other timeline. Her curious eyes travel around, continuing to look for any signs of life to join her cold dark soul. For every movement, feels like a million of threads tugging her back in the opposite direction.

_This is a dream, huh?_

Her soul-shrinking eyes light up with what lies in front of her. Max is flattened against the cement in front of the steps to the dorms. She is lying on her stomach with her limbs crumbled all around her unnaturally from the impact. The edges of her bones protrude against her tight skin. A large fork of blood radiates from underneath her lifeless head, slowly expanding to spread across the ground like red paint dripping onto an artist’s canvas.

 _“Max…?”_ Rachel’s helpless voice again clutches against the deathly silence. She leans in, seeing the Mickey Mouse patterns that are splattered with spots of crimson. The bob cut hair bathes in the sanguine puddle that ripples from infrequent drops of blood coming from her gaped mouth and her tongue peeking between her teeth. The wide puffy eyes gaze at the growing ruby sea in front of her. Her dead fingers are curled pointing in the direction of hell. 

_“Oh my god... There’s so much blood… Max...”_

The sight of her dead best friend batters against the shores of her soul. An ethereal glow spills and knits against the air for a flickering second, drawing Rachel’s head to look up at the unforgiving stormy heavens. Alone in the air is a photo that weaves sharply against the tidal winds but still circling and honing above Rachel. 

Slowly, it inches its way toward the earth, falling neatly right in front of the corpse and within view of the dead blue eyes. 

Rachel crouches her apparition body, taking a look at the photo. It is a picture of Max with her two parents right beside her. The sight of it draws out a single gasp, giving a soft reminder of her earlier visions. _This is what I saw…_

The entire scene is hauntingly silence, as all she can hear is the whirring sound that sounds like murmurs from thousands of mournful souls. Suddenly, the entrance doors burst opened right behind her as a series of footsteps follow the students. One by one the teenagers of both males and females gather at the foot of the steps, looking in horrid of the corpse of their fellow classmate that lies in front of them.

 _“Help!...”_ Rachel cries out to them which includes some familiar faces. Her hazel eyes dart in rapid succession across all the faces. _“Dana!”_ She calls out to the cheerleader with a ponytail. Then, she catches a glimpse of her own angel. _“Kate! Please, Kate…”_ She walks up to the hair bun girl who is cowering her entire face and flinching away from the grotesque sight. 

Her false sense of hope begins shrinking back, realizing there is no help. And, there never was any hope. This all came true like in her visions. Not even time powers could change the future.

 _“No one can see me…”_ She mutters distantly, slowly shrinking and slipping back. Each step she takes, burdening more and more with guilt. She doesn’t want to look at anyone or the corpse of her best friend. 

At the corner of her eyes, a glowing blue butterfly nests carefully on top of a bulletin board, calling out silently. It flaps its sapphire glistening wings, observing with its small curious eyes.

Slowly, this sucks the blonde ghost closer, seeing a faded newspaper article that is stapled onto the board.

_Memorial Service for Chloe Elizabeth Price and Rachel Dawn Amber_

_By: Juliet Watson_

_… the memorial service for two former Blackwell Students was hosted at the school’s gymnasium on October 16th. David and Joyce Madsen attended the service in honor of their deceased daughter, Chloe Price. In addition, Chloe’s best friend Maxine Caulfield also gave a heart-touching speech. No family members from Rachel Amber attended the service as the investigations continued from Bradley Amber’s apparent suicide that happened earlier in the day before the service. Rachel’s mother Elizabeth, would not attend or deliver any comments in regards to the death of her husband and daughter. The investigations for Nathan Prescott and Mark Jefferson are still ongoing and set for trial before the start of the new year._

Rachel takes a few steps back, feeling her skin is trying to crawl off her body. _Dad died… He took his own life. And, the article doesn't even mention the death of Max's parents. She kept it to herself?_ Her legs feel numb all of the sudden, causing her to almost trip backward landing closer to the bloodied body of Max, who is shrouded by the silhouette of the students. 

_“Max, I’m so sorry…”_ She reaches down, hovering her ghostly body close to the ground. Rachel examines closely to Max’s deathly gaze that stares deeply into hers.

The soft gloomy shadows that tower over the corpse seemingly blend a twitch from Max’s fingers, jolting her lifeless body ever so slightly, prompting the blonde girl to take a closer look. A brooding aura pricks away at Rachel but persuading her to draw even closer. _What’s going on?_

Rachel’s ghostly hand joins with the bloodied hand, feeling a faint surge of powers kindling into her. She clenches her ghostly hand, erupting into a glistening display of crimson. Her body constricts to the sudden explosive sparks of flame. 

_I still have my powers…_ Drawing more curiosity, Rachel squeezes her hand tightly, as a strong tear of distortion separates the two girls.

The entire scene also becomes split switching to fluttering layers of crystals sparkling with reflection. Rachel’s ethereal breaths begin picking up through the howling ghastly silence. Like being inside the anomaly, everything seems perfectly still and frozen despite the whirling reflective sheets.

Over the divide at Max’s side, there is another Max sleeping deep into her slumber with dried tears that hang close by her eyes. A pale silver glow illuminates enough for Rachel to identify it is a familiar spot she has seen before. It is Max’s dorm room in Blackwell Academy. She stiffens her neck to get a better view to find a clock on her nightstand that reads ‘12:36 PM’.

The tightly shut blinds shroud most of the sun, creating a more loathing ambiance. 

Getting more curious of the scene, she stands up and peers through the view in many different angles. There is a shoe box that is labeled ‘Chloe’ in the middle of the room on the floor with its top removed. Inside, lies several photos of the two Arcadia Bay pirates that are too far and dim to see.

A bluish wraith-like hand grasps tightly onto Rachel’s extended arm, startling the deceased model. The ghostly hand also has blood dripping down from it, squeezing firmly onto the forearm of Rachel, invoking a blood-curdling scream.

Her eyebrows furrowing in terror as she can feel the harsh presence of this being. Her time powers increase, funneling more waves of light to bludgeon the scene. Then, a calm yet melancholic voice rings in her ear. 

_“Honey, wake up first and meet your friend, Kate.”_ A sigh of disappointment stirs the thick air. _“We both love you.”_

It is Vanessa’s voice. Rachel’s eyes shoot up and the hand pulls away, disappearing. She twists sharply trying to track her down but seeing nothing but a handful of shadows that shrink away, revert the scene back to its desolate state. _That was Max’s mom…_

Feeling a mixture of shock and weakness, she stumbles back slightly onto the other side of the divide. Finding that she is in a dark room with two beds. 

Another sharp gasp escapes from her lips, as the channeling of her energy is plummeting down her ghostly body. She continues to push on to examine the scene, finding her own body is sleeping in one of the beds in the darkened room. Between the bed, lies the digital clock with its red glow, stating ‘7:59 PM’.

On the other side, is Max lying on the other bed. She is awake, but with a silent anxious face gazing deeply into the ceiling. She has long and wavy hair and looks like she is readied and dressed up for a party. _Maxine… This was before she left for Nathan’s party in our apartment._

Feeling her powers rushing with intensity but her body waning in strength, she squeezes out the remaining of her energy, completely severing the two girls away from each other. A vacuum collapses between them, shattering and returning back into the pitch black abyss. _Was that a dream? Or, was it something that happened?_

Exhausted and all alone, Rachel sits down on what would be the ground in this towering dark abyss. She has questions but no answers to them. Her arms wrap around her legs, hugging it tightly and resting her head in it.

A voice calls out to her, “Rachel? Is that you?” It is Max’s voice. Not expecting anyone to join her in this plane in limbo and especially her own best friend that she pushed her through the anomaly.

Rachel draws her head up slightly, stealing a peek, “Max?”

The girl quietly lifts her hand up, “No. Erm…” She closes her eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose, “Yes, but also no. I’m not the Mousey Max you’re hoping for.” Her index finger points at her own nose, “You don’t remember me, huh?”

The blonde squints her eyes, examining closely. Physically, she looks like any other Max. “Am I supposed to? You’re… another Max?”

“It’s alright. It was expected that you were going to lose your memories after using your powers to jump back to the living.” The brunette nods solemnly, “Yeah, I’m a _Max_ that died.” She purses her lips, “Well… at least one of them. I joined and met up with you in this place.”

The word strikes Rachel’s heart like a needle, slowly treading itself out of one chamber. “H-How did you die?” She lifts her head up completely, showing some concerns and sympathy toward this new being.

The brunette’s eyes drift slightly to the side of Rachel, “May I sit down?” She asks politely.

“Erm… sure.” _There’s isn’t a shortage of space around me._ The brunette is wearing a black short sleeve shirt with what appears to be a large faded gray moth design on it.

Max hones in on a spot, sitting very close to Rachel. She seems far more comfortable around the blonde than even Maxine and Max. However, she avoids eye contact, focusing straight ahead in the darkness. “I died in the Dark Room by Jefferson…” She fidgets with her hand, “David didn’t make it in time.”

Rachel’s eyes lower, trying to visualize the snippets of details that the ‘Mousey Max’ told her about her experience. “Y-Your powers didn’t work?”

Max dips down, tracing her finger along her jeans, “Well, I convinced Jefferson to toss my journal right next to me. I used my powers to hop into a selfie that I took back in Jefferson’s class. I sent a text to David to alert him the location of the Dark Room, turned in my stupid contest submission and even gave a hug to comfort Kate. When the scene burned up, I was back in the Dark Room with Jefferson.” She wets her lips, “At first, I thought my changes weren’t drastic enough.”

Rachel blinks rapidly, “I remember hearing about that ability. So, normally you jump into the photo and you can make some changes. Then time jumps back to the present day with your changes?”

“That’s how it supposed to work. But it didn’t.” Max hunches her shoulders, still avoiding eye contact, “So, I keep trying again, jumping back into that same photo, doing something different. I called David and he picked up. I told him the location of the Dark Room… Still nothing. I even punched Jefferson straight in the face, breaking his glasses... Still nothing. I threw a table to shatter the classroom window and jumped out of it to escape from it… Still nothing.” Her voice cracks, as it’s clear the recollection of this memories is bringing back an immense amount of frustration and melancholy. “Each time I used my powers, my migraine and nosebleed got progressively worse until it got to a point where I passed out completely.”

A shiver of chills shreds into Rachel’s spine, “W-What… happened next?”

Max blinks slowly, shuddering her head slowly, “I woke up… feeling something pricking my neck. I heard Jefferson say something to me but I couldn’t even comprehend it.” She rubs the side of her left neck, scratching it with her fingernail, like she is looking for that phantom wound that punctured her skin, “Only thing I heard was my raspy breaths. Slowly, my eyes got heavy and I woke up... here.” She grips her right hand in the air, “I didn’t have my powers anymore.” Finally, she cranes her head to look at Rachel, “To be honest, I’m not sure if my time powers killed me or the drugs he injected into me.”

Rachel lowers her eyebrows, pressing her lips tightly feeling sorry for the girl. “Did you ever figure out why your powers stopped working?”

“Well, you can never be certain about these things.” Max shrugs half-heartedly, “What I think is whenever I photo-hopped, it created a new timeline.”

“A new timeline?”

“Yup…” Max says with sarcasm and resentment in her tone, “A new timeline that reflects the changes you made. With a new identical copy of Max, Jefferson, Kate, and so on. But one of the Maxes has to stay behind in the current timeline. So, it is basically a 50-50 chance.” She puffs out a sigh, “So out of the five or so times I attempted in the Dark Room, I lost the coin toss every single time. I was the one that got left behind in each and every one of them.”

Rachel’s eyes widen, not sure to what even say in this moment to confide to this person. She looks exactly like Max but she went down a different and tragic route. “Max…”

The brunette squeezes her eyes closed, “I guess… one of us had to.” She justifies her fate and mission in the multiverse.

Rachel juts her hand slightly upward, thinking about giving a hug but realizing they’re both ethereal beings, “I’m so sorry…”

“Meh…” Max grunts underneath her breaths, “The real sad part is I’m the only Max that even knows about this.” Her body rocks from side to side, “While the other fucking Maxes are riding into the sunset with their newly saved Chloe or going to San Fucking-Francisco.” Her head shrinks back down with her eyes scanning the dark abyss, “And, I’m stuck here… dead.”

Rachel’s eyes fidget uneasily, “Is there… anything I can do? Can I save you?”

Max lifts her head almost robotically and her face warms slightly with a nonchalant smile, “You’re still so sweet, Rachel.” Quickly, it diminishes away to a pout, “To be honest, I really wanted to keep living. I didn’t want my life to end with me being buried right next to Victoria. And, Chloe buried next to Rachel and Nathan.”

The horrifying fates of the students draw a cringe to the blonde. But she doesn’t want to keep prying at the poor girl. She looks at her own hands, examining them and feeling a wave that weaves between them, “Maybe I can help?” She asks again.

“You already helping a Max.”

Rachel snorts, “Apparently, I picked the wrong one.”

“How do you know if I’m any different? We both come from a similar background of being hell bent on saving Chloe.” Max shakes her head but keeping her eyes focused, “I’ve been watching you, Rachel. When all of this started, it was…” She beams a quick genuine smile, that seems to be the first one ever from her, “...sweet to watch at first. To see how you slowly develop and evolve as a person. But… I feared this was going to happen.” She hugs her own knees and buries her head between them, “With that other version of me…”

Rachel nods, “You have been watching me? Well yeah… fuck her. I saved _that_ Max from her depression so she can reserve a fuck buddy for the rest of her life…” She scoffs underneath her seething breaths, “Fucking Chloe…”

“No…” The girl’s voice is muffled through her arms, “...you pulled her soul from purgatory.” She pulls her head up, drifting her eyes over to Rachel, “ _That_ Max did jump off the roof.”

Rachel leans her face into her knuckles. She knows her visions were true but it still stings her as much as discovering it. “So… what I just saw with Max’s body… plastered into the cement is really-” Her voice chokes up, unable to finish the sentence.

“You’re starting to remember…” The brunette casts a smile, despite the morbid topic, “Max got stuck in a time loop, repeating the last section of her life over and over that leads to her a suicide.” She holds out her right hand, “Her soul was restless, her powers kept being invoked to reset the time. But each time, she forgets everything including her previous deaths. So her fate remains sealed and she kept repeating it.”

_Fuck, that horrifying to even think about._

Rachel lets out a sharp exhale, wrinkling her nose. She makes a stab in filling in the blank, “So, I intervened with my powers to break the loop.” Her eyebrows lower, thinking about her long adventures that she has been through. “And, I was able to guide her to change her future by jumping into her timeline?”

Max nods softly, “Your powers created two twin timelines that the time markers are set in different periods. And, both of your powers and the timelines resonate very closely with the afterlife.”

A rumble begins stirring from the unknown, sounding like a tidal wave is approaching in the far distant. The bleak darkness flicker rousing with lights and everything begins dissipating to a gradual burn of light.

Rachel exclaims to her, “I broke her out of her loop.” Her face scans around as the scene begins to crumble all around her. She shouts to her, “Let me help you...” 

The best friend rejects the offer, “No, I’ll lose all my memories if I go back to the living world.” She shoots an uneasy glance toward Rachel, “I’m going to end up being exactly like that Max you saved.” She winks her eyes, making a mocking subtle stab at her counterpart.

Rachel’s eyebrows lower, feeling reminded about her time trip to that other timeline. The rumbling swells in intensity like it is about to cave in. She shouts over the noise, “If I’m dead, then why do I still have time powers? Is it only me?” A veil of burbling haze fizzes into her ears, drowning almost everything else.

Max blinks at her silently, looking all around her. She seems to be at a loss, but not at all frightened or affected. Finally, she leans her head forward among the chaos, “It’s both of you. I thought maybe you two could help each other.”

The words settle into Rachel’s heart, burying it deep into her chest. She shouts at her, “Wait… Max!” She doesn’t want this moment to end as this is the only company she can only get. Before she can hear any response, the scene gets ravaged into a halogen-white blinding light.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Outside Price Residence

#### September 23th, 2016 8:48 PM

Suddenly, her vision clears up as the rush of the vivid sounds of the night trickle into her ears. The chirping of the crickets and gentle breeze of the wind rouses her to awaken from her temporal slumber. Her hazel eyes respond with dilation to the dark sky where the two pale silver moons glare back with glowing dread. The red haze in her vision slowly fades as the blurriness kicks in, distorting the celestial bodies with a coalescing shape. The rage from her beating heart slowly drains out of her body, letting in the damp and moist grass to coat underneath her, weaving in her long frayed hair.

She is finally back in her own timeline. Or, at least what she used to believe was her derelict home. Rachel tilts her bruised face sluggishly, seeing the wound on her left wrist is still gushing out blood but it has slowed down. There lies a short trail of dark crimson that is seeping into the earth to show how much of her life she has lost in her brief time trip across the other timeline.

Soft murmurs of laughter stir Rachel’s ear to twitch in the direction of the golden flood of light. “M-Max?” She squeaks barely even louder than a whisper but no one else in the whole world, in the other timeline, or in hell can even hear her.

She lets out a grunt, as the sharp throbbing pain on her wrist slowly draws into her mind as the rage from her time trip has withered down inside her mind. She covers her bleeding wrist to apply as much pressure as her face gazes back into the chasm that is in the sky. For now, she doesn’t want to face the direction of the golden bloom which lies the Price and Caulfield families who despise her.

Rachel tilts her head, seeing the phone that lies on the grass right beside her. Before the time warp, she had the urgency to make that call to her mother and warn about her health. But the harsh evening chill and also that familiar grasp of hopeless reality has caved into her weakening body. Nothing in the world mattered to her anymore. 

“Mousey Max...” She says the nickname with a faded smile, “We are looking at the moons together, right?” A puff of air, chuckles out of her lips. Seeing the two magnificent pale lights is delightful. Perhaps, when there is nothing else left, anything can look amazing. It reminds her on how she instilled hope to her best friend in another timeline. Max can continue to live with her friends, Kate, Chloe and the other Rachel in a new journey. Slowly, the warmth drains out of her pale face, shuttering her eyes to push out a fresh stream of tears to roll off the side of her face.

“I guess… I saved you, Max.”While still applying pressure to the wound, she rests her head on her shoulder. She mutters softly, creaking her voice, “I hate you.” Her swollen eyes blink rapidly, as she nuzzles her own head in her weak arm. “I wish I never-”

A pulse echoes through her mind that draws the attention of the blonde time traveler almost as if someone is calling to her. With the sheer amount of sorrow and hopelessness drowning her head, even it prompts her to tilt her head up, looking at the fading dome that links between the timelines. Hoping maybe that the sweet Max that she saw in the abyss may show up. But there’s nothing.

Her hope fades back to where it should be. She slowly throws her body up, carefully getting back up onto her legs. Her eyes sneak a glance at the lively luminous light from Chloe’s house. The familiar laughters from William and Vanessa spill out of it.

Beads of sweat form on her forehead underneath her tousled hair as she holds her gaze for a moment, observing the audible life that she has given back to both the Price and Caulfield families by reuniting Maxine with her parents. A soft chuckle squeezes out as if she is joining in and being a part of the conversation between the warm families but only from a distance.

But her mind cripples quickly to the thoughts that she is reverting back to this life where she is hated by everyone. But that part is now the same in both timelines. 

In a matter of a few moments, her powers have taken her from one timeline to landing to some dark abyss that lies out of time and now finally here. She squeezes her eyes closed, trying to collect her thoughts. _If I close my eyes, do these timelines stop?_ Her eyes open, gleaming from the bright celestial bodies up in the sky. _It doesn’t. All the worlds will continue. As with Max, Kate, Chloe, and Rachel will continue without me, as it should be._

She darts her eyes at the faint anomaly that lies in the middle of yard that she left from. There is no more remaining thread of curiosity to even examine or peer into it. Not anymore.

_I’m going to be like that Max that died in the Dark Room. No one will ever know who she is. But it’s alright… It’s alright._

The chill of the wind sweeps over her sweaty and weak body who is still fighting to survive. She shuffles quietly through the yard clenching tightly on her ice cold wrist. She doesn’t know where to go or where any paths will take her anymore. But she knows she has to go.

Slowly, the hunched form is no longer illuminated by the lustrous light from the dining room or the pale silver light from the moons as the figure creeps and disappears completely into the dark shadows.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for been keeping up. This was originally going to be a huge chapter but I split it in half. Realizing it is easier to tackle this way and hit certain points with the scenes. But still, I got pretty frustrated and overwhelmed when I was writing all of this. The next chapter is written for the most part but I'm going to take my time to polish and write it the way I want it. Hopefully, be in a week or two from now to be released.
> 
> There were a lot of things that happened in this chapter and some confusing sections so I'm just going to go over it. So beware spoilers. (For that one person, that reads the Author's Notes before the chapter :P)
> 
> So, [Rachel/"Alt Rachel"] finally returned back to her timeline may or may not be against her own will. This marks the [Prime Rachel/Rachel in Max's Timeline] to finally be back to take over of her own body in this timeline. I kept the "reunion scene" to be simplified for this one and it a bit softened for now. Even though [Prime Rachel] is very confused as fuck, the rest of the girls are exhausted and want to leave it for now. But don't worry [Prime Rachel] will have some questions. :D
> 
> I didn't really put much emphasis on the intentions, but Prime Max is really nice to Prime Rachel. After the ordeal and her fight with the Alt Rachel, Max is seeking to be very sympathetic with this Rachel. Kind of a brand new beginning. In a way, not making any mistakes. I realized there were a lot of parallels during the interaction between Prime Rachel and Max.
> 
> Now, time for the spooky portion, hellish scene.
> 
> There has been small hints and questions about time powers and the afterlife throughout the story. Well, 'Alt Rachel', the one that the story has been following has already been dead before. A special thing about her is that she is able to use her powers even though she is dead, which brought herself (and the Max that committed suicide) back to "life" by creating two timelines. Only setback is virtually all of her memories are suppressed after being "revived". Under this condition, a person would normally live their life exactly the same way, essentially a time loop. In the game, some people may perceived when Max rips the photo so she doesn't save William because she will not be stuck in a loop to make that exact same decision again. Kind of a way to leave a breadcrumb trail for Auto-Max to NOT do this.
> 
> So, in one of the timeline that follows the Post-Bay line, Max did end her life. This particular Max did retain her powers after her death. Very shortly after her death, her soul feeling remorse with her powers, she would 'subconsciously' rewind herself back to the living. But her memories are lost, essentially repeating an endless loop.
> 
> In my story, [Alt Rachel] stumbles to meet [Prime Max] was kind of a way to help break out of the time loop. Technically, they're going a different path... well we will see where [Alt Rachel] is going to end up. :D And, [Prime Max]....
> 
> And there is an 'Other Max' that talks to [Alt Rachel]. Usually, alternate version of Maxes are referred as "Nightmare Max" because they're usually supernatural in appearance and resentful toward Max. I think usually because it is easier to be critical of yourself, hence why Nightmare Maxes are usually upset. But this 'Other Max' is cordial towards Rachel, as she is one that got left behind. The one that couldn't make it out of the Dark Room with her powers, while the other Maxes are livin' it large...
> 
> I'm intrigued with the concept of being "left behind" in these type of themes. That's why I like the multiverse approach toward LiS, where everything does have a consequences. And, time powers don't solve all problems.
> 
> Anyways, enough yapping from me. Leave a comment, if you like. The next chapter shouldn't be TOO far away. Oh BTW I'm hella hyped for the Prequel/Before the Storm! I'm ready for the game to invalidate my story about Rachel! :D
> 
> 7/16 Update - Sorry, I have been super busy. There are parts in this new chapter I want to change to my liking so the next chapter release is going to take longer than I anticipated.


	32. The Hungry End

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence - 1F

#### March 21th, 2013 6:33 PM

The hipster’s eyes wander silently across the vast ceiling that looms above her. Plumes of breeze slither through the ajar window to caress the smooth exposed shoulders of the brunette. 

She is wearing her elegant pink prom dress as requested by the two giggling girls earlier. Her makeup and hair remain the same as before, not doing anything else special. Her entire brash body winds in almost a tangle across the length of the couch to ease the awkward pain that seldom dances throughout the nerves of her body.

Her posture is anything but ladylike. But her brief moment of solitary in the living room has enabled Max to unravel momentarily both physically and mentally. Earlier, Kate stepped out into the backyard and both Rachel and Chloe are upstairs to freshen up in preparation for dinner.

Max hangs partially upside-down with her legs vaulting upward with her knees still pressing tightly together to prevent her dress from slipping down. With straining effort on her abdominal muscles, she tilts her head faintly. Her glinting eyes scan across her body, admiring the beautiful dress that wraps her, definitely showcasing a more graceful side of the hipster. _‘Hey, I don’t look too shabby in this.’_ Her freckled face is glistening with confidence, feeling spectacular about herself and how bright and clear everything is going to be in her future.

Scanning across her field of vision, the brunette anchors her gaze at the arm of the couch. Her nose wrinkles at the glimpse of the recently taken Polaroid photo. She fully extends her arm toward her goal but falling short an inch. She grunts through her straining throat, twiddling her fingers repeatedly in her fruitless attempt. _‘Curse you, photo. I’m so lazy.’_

She groans in defeat, wiggling her stubborn body back up to a proper sitting position to grab the developed photo, fumbling in between her fingers. She examines with her wide gleaming blue eyes, as her lips crinkle to a smile. _‘Wowser… Rachel is gorgeous. All of us are so happy together_. _So, this is how it is going to be from now on? Even with Jefferson and Nathan out there, I’ll still take this over anything else out there, hands down. With Chloe, Kate, and Rachel by my side.’_ And the list continues silently in her optimistic mind. _‘Both mom and dad. We are all here. Living happily together.’_

With minimal effort, she squirms herself to reach for the blue binder with that stray photo that was taken earlier in the day with the girls and the other Rachel. She sets both photos to be side-by-side, with the photo binder resting on her lap. A long drawn out sigh sails out between her lips. _‘I didn’t shove Rachel into that time anomaly. I felt very weak and couldn’t maintain my grip on her. But she may think I purposely pushed her in.’_ Her nails tap against the binder in a cascading rhythm. _‘She may be even more furious if she comes back… That is if she ever comes back…’_

The door to the backyard slides open and then close as the blonde girl with the chignon hairstyle slips back into the house. Her head halts, seeing the lone photographer, “Oh! There you are. I was going to check up on you if you needed help to put on the dress.” Kate weaves closer as her puffy eyes widen with joy to the magnificent dress, “Wow! Max, you’re so beautiful!”

“Thanks.” Max inhales sharply as she was enjoying the measly moment of peace to collect her thoughts about everything that happened. But a little warm company from this angel never hurts. “I didn’t do anything too fancy. I’m just wearing the dress because they told me to.” She shrugs half-heartedly because she isn’t the biggest fan of these types of clothing. “My body is feeling better but it still hurts from time to time.”

“So you still feel…” Kate crawls her fingertips, tapping gently on the hipster’s shoulder, “...that paralyzed feeling? My heart stopped when I saw how hard you hit the ground. And, seeing that you could barely move after that.” Her eyes dash away, after bringing up that difficult scene. It was a horrific and brutal fight between the time travelers but it has all been defused and almost forgotten due to the minor time travel reset along with the other Rachel departing from this timeline.

“Yeah…” Max’s breaths batter against her hoarse throat. _‘Fuck, that was insane. But… that Rachel did reset everything.’_ She clears the raspiness that was lingering, “I-I’m okay now. It kind of comes in and out but I know it is all in my head.” She redirects the attention away, showing concern for the angel that has walked with her in this adventure. “How are you handling with all of this? What were you doing outside in the backyard?” She inquires about the absence of this girl.

Kate purses her lips, carefully kneeling down on the floor in front of Max. “I was doing the only thing I could do.” Her eyes wrench in the direction of the yard, “I was praying for someone...” Her throat thickens, “For that person’s safety and wellness...”

The freckled girl takes notice of the gleaming layer that lies on the hazel eyes of the soft angel. The sight of this subdues Max with gloom, also feeling the sorrow and knowing who exactly that _someone_ is. “Kate…” She doesn’t have any more to say as there isn’t anything comforting she could add.

Kate retreats her hand to join her other hand on her lap, “I-I uh… saw a receipt in my bag. It was for a fruit cup of watermelon I bought earlier when we were at Blackwell.” Her worried eyes scan the room, unable to anchor onto anything, “I bought it for Rachel.”

“Kate…” Max repeats again, traveling her fingers through her own hair, twisting them between the strands, “I-I’m at a total loss with all of this. I know you cared about her.”

“I do.” The church girl’s clammy hands find shelter up against her chest. She shoots a nervous glance at the brunette, hoping that the time traveler would add something. Like something on the line of _she also cared about that Rachel_ , but there is nothing but silence. Kate defends her, “She’s not a bad person, Max.”

“I know she’s not.” Max nods with her posture feeling increasingly lethargic, “That’s why I feel… very mixed about everything.” Her eyes peek behind to the direction of the stairs, “I… probably deserved to be tossed down those stairs for what I did to her. Yet, she rewound everything back.” She hunches her body to hold onto the angel’s hand, seeking some shelter for her own racing mind, “Kate, I tried to catch her so she didn’t fall back into the sphere. But my body gave out…” Her voice trails off weakly mimicking the rest of her body.

“I figured that was what happened.” Kate’s lips set in a grim line, showing signs of disappointment. Not toward the time traveler but herself that she couldn’t do anything when it mattered. “Both Chloe and I had the idea.”

“I see.”

“It just hurts.” Kate looks skyward toward the ceiling. “It is like seeing your friend suffering amnesia. They look exactly the same but they don’t remember any moments you shared with that person.” The Rachel upstairs looks identical to the person that Kate bonded with. Her eyes drift back, nodding to the freckled girl, “Now, I know how you must have felt with Chloe. Or how the _other_ Rachel felt talking to you.”

Max’s voice croaks, “Yeah…” Her eyes blink rapidly with curiosity to empathize with the girl, “So, you got really close with her?” She asks again, wondering how she connected with Rachel so well.

“I think the whole Vortex Club party ordeal turned my life around. I lost perspective in my own self. So, trying to help other people in need offered solace.” She plants her elbow onto the edge of the couch, supporting her head on it. “In a way, I was doing it for my own good.”

Max pets the hair bun, “Without you by my side, I don’t know where I would be.” Her voice pauses for an enduring moment that quickly pricks apart at her soul. She continues to pry, “How did you connect so well with Rachel?”

Still cradling into her own arm, Kate nuzzles her head to signify her nod, “I don’t think I can ever put myself truly in her shoes. She opened up with everything to me and needed someone to listen to her.” She stiffens her neck, “And, I listened.”

“And, Rachel loved you.”

“She did. At least, I think so.” 

Max’s index finger swirls into Kate’s hair, prying some locks of hair from the neatly tied bun, “I know she had lots of problems with my counterpart, Maxine. So you don’t have to keep this a secret anymore.” Her short glare travels with remorse, “You two had a lot of private time together. I’m sure Rachel told you that she had problems with me as well, huh?”

“She knew you were focused on Chloe.” Kate doesn’t do anything to disguise her words but remaining sympathetic in her tone. “I probably would have done the same thing. You will naturally gravitate toward the person you love.” She draws her head back, resuming back into a kneeling position to face the freckled girl, “She was from a different timeline, so she knew she had no place in your life. She knew she had no place in anyone’s life in both timelines.” Kate shrugs her shoulders, “She just wanted to smile as long as she can.”

Those words invoke a fluttering deep into Max’s stomach. “Kate…” She balls her fists, then pressing it tightly against her heart that is crushed. Even with how positive everything is looking, there is still a lingering thorn of dread that won’t go away. It may never go away.

Kate expels a long exhale, confessing everything to help let out the pain, “Rachel was tormented and told me some things.” She trails off dramatically.

“Like what things?”

The angel sweeps her eyes around the room, “She thinks she’s already dead. That she died in the Dark Room. She started seeing things that she shouldn’t be able to see like feeling her overdosed body as well as Chloe’s fatal gunshot wound in the stomach.” She crosses her arms, still hiding some other details to not freak out the freckled girl, “And that somehow, she ended up to… whatever timeline she ended up in.”

Max stares back with wide eyes. It is a far-fetched idea thrown at her but time travel is anything but conventional. Even though Kate isn’t a time traveler, she isn’t one to rouse false speculations. Instead of doubting anything, she takes the time to let Rachel’s statement to seep into her brain. “She saw herself die?” Her eyes lower, muttering quietly, “I mean... I also saw some weird things too.”

Kate nods softly, still puzzled with the mystery. “Rachel thinks she used her time powers to come back to life.” Her eyes hone back onto Max, “She felt she had some unfinished business or something she was yearning to do.” The two girls stare at each other for a mute moment. Both of them are unable to comprehend any of it.

From upstairs, Rachel breaks the silence shouting a little bit louder than needed, stirring the inhabitants of the house. “Chloe! Are you still taking a shit? Girl, you need to eat more fiber.” Chloe’s incomprehensible response is muffled behind the locked bathroom door. The blonde groans, stomping across the second floor and down the stairs. She grumbles in rhythm with her steps, “I was going to check up on my hair but I don’t want your fart to collect on it.” 

She spins around, strolling through the first floor with a relaxed stance to join the other two girls that are kind of strangers to her in the living room. Her eyes instantly latch onto the freckled girl’s outfit, “I love your dress! That’s so cute! D’aww...” She coos in a warm melody of delight, shuffling her sneakers to close in on her.

Max glances down at her body almost forgetting she is wearing the outfit that Rachel was demanding earlier. “Oh... thanks.” Her voice is rather unenthusiastic. 

The model turns toward the church girl, focusing on the hair bun. “Kate, right? I really love your hair! I wonder if I could pull off something like that with my hair.”

Kate drags her frail body back up, casting a nervous glance and brushing the back of her hair to rest securely on the back of her neck, “You should try it. But thanks…” Her voice is also stiff as she drags her flighty hand around to brush against her lips. She wants to say more but nothing comes out of her tongue.

Helping to break the awkwardness in the air, Max leans in close with a cheeky expression, “She _is_ a cutie, huh?” She draws more unwanted attention toward the conservative girl. Kate gives a sharp look of silent disapproval, then back to Rachel. The close up from the gorgeous face withers down Kate’s face to a glowing bloom.

Rachel senses the timidness from this girl that she doesn’t even know and she chooses to capitalize on it. “Yeah, she is quite the cutie!” She takes a swift step closer and spotting the cross necklace that glows radiantly from the peek of the luminous sun. The model grins, sailing her delicate knuckles to caress along the cheekbone of Kate, “And, kind of hot...”

Kate twitches underneath the touch, gulping her throat behind her muffled mouth. She doesn’t feel repulsed from the intimacy but her mind is painted with confused discomfort. Her cloudy eyes waver with straining difficulty from focusing on the girl in front of her. The playful teasing and the identical look remind too closely of the Rachel that she once knew. The lonely Rachel that loved her but had to leave this timeline. To be forgotten or to be forever remembered as a villain.

Rachel’s eyebrows knit in a frown, uncertain if she crossed the line with this person or if there is something else going on. She retracts her body holding both of her tense hands up, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…” Her body slumps in disappointment for her own actions.

Kate’s eyes scramble around Rachel, “No! It’s fine.” Her lips clamp shut, not wanting to leak anymore of her emotions. Already feeling the suffocation as her thoughts are suddenly drowning her, “I need some fresh air. Excuse me...” She doesn’t wait for any acknowledging reply as she patters desperately across the rest of the living room to hastily step out into the backyard.

Max’s eyes cruise along the path that the church girl has taken, unable to even say a coherent word but it is probably best to leave that angel to herself. “Kate…” _‘She just needs some time.’_ The freckled girl shoots a shy but comforting glance over at the worried blonde, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about her. She just needs some time.” Taking control of the conversion, she scoots a little closer toward Rachel to grab more of her wandering attention, “Come… sit down.” She pats on the empty cushion right beside her.

Rachel blinks slowly, peeling her distressed eyes away from the direction of the backyard and sailing toward her former best friend. She acknowledges quietly, sitting down at the far end of the couch, feigning a cautious look toward Max.

The hipster presses her lips, forcing a smile, “It’s okay.” She boldly trying to expel the haze of discomfort that lies between them, wiggling her body to close the distance between them. She sniffs her nose that sends an unpleasant choke with her advance. Smelling that familiar metallic scent that draws her to squeeze her nose but finding there is no blood.

“Is your nose bleeding?” Rachel drops the act, drooping to a concerned expression and closing the rest of the distance on her part.

Max rubs her nose with the back of her hand, “No, I’m alright.” She sniffs again to clear her breathing. “Rachel, did you ever get any nosebleed with your time powers or visions?”

The blonde girl tips her nose in the air, humming to the ceiling to recall several mini-generations of her past, “A couple of times...” Her enchanting hazel eyes return back with an astonishing flash in them, “Again… This is fucking crazy that you also have powers. Wow…” Her voice drifts away in low disbelieving tone. Amazed that finally, someone else shares her struggles and experiences. And that very person is her old best friend.

“It is crazy.” Max chuckles, resting her face in the palm of her hand. In this very moment, she does feel empowered to be on the same wavelength as her, even though she hasn’t been able to use her powers for a little while. “The nosebleeds… Do you know what causes them?”

Rachel crosses her arms, hugging them tightly to her slim frame, “It kind of varies. But I think it is something to do with your body rejecting something.” She fans her knuckles to press against her chin, “Kind of like when someone who experiences motion sickness. Because how things are moving in their vision doesn’t seem _right_ in their mind. So in a way, your body is getting _poisoned_ and reacting to it with nausea to warn that something is _off_.”

Max weaves her fingers through the threads of her hair, tracing it back to the top of her spine, “What does that mean in time travel, though?”

Rachel purses her lips, erecting her posture, “Well, time travel isn’t a normal function that a human brain can easily perceive. I think your mind knows subconsciously that something is just _off._ ” She mutters through her rugged throat, “Or, something that doesn’t line up with your buried memories.”

“Hmm…” The freckled girl snorts but leaving the silence to consume the air for a moment to ponder the words from the other time traveler.

The blonde girl nudges Max to knock her out of her brief trance, “Alrighty, Maxine… erm… Max.” She flops her back to rest against the couch, “I need to get used to this. I know something happened. I sensed that I blacked out yet I know I was awake. Like an out-of-body experience. But everything is still drawing a blank.” She fires a nervous glance, “And, seeing you here like this…”

Max droops down her head, partially routing the conversation to a different fork, “Why didn’t you contact me?”

Rachel’s brows knit upward then it settles back, “I’m just stubborn.” Her eyes squeeze closed, then peeking with feigned innocence, “Could you meet someone that you bonded and loved for your entire life. But because of your own self-seeking actions and inhuman powers, she no longer has a single clue about who you are?” Her eyes blink slowly, adding to her point, “...and unable to remember any moments that you cherished with that person?”

Max presses her lips into a slight grimace. Showing a bit of shame, even though it isn’t anything she could have known. “I get you. I didn’t mean to sound like I was scolding you or anything.” Even she struggled to meet with Chloe after being away for five years. Time travel is something that transcends anything perceivable by normal beings.

The blonde’s body falters slightly, revealing the fragile state that she tries to bury beneath. “I know people say experiences are everything. But sometimes you cannot help but ask… ‘ _is it worth it?_ ’ When there are no other souls in the entire world that could share that experience with you?”

A plume of chilling air wraps closely against the throat of Max, sharing that feeling very recently. After letting Chloe go, she wasn’t sure how she could handle being the only person that knew what happened in that week. _‘So Rachel had to endure this for her entire life?’_ “I totally get you, Rach…”

The popular girl shims her phone out of her skinny pocket, checking the time as well as any notifications. Her face bathes in the glowing illumination of her phone, “Many things have been going on with my life. Almost all of it I would have never predicted, including my own decisions in life.” She tucks her phone back into her pocket, then brushing her jay earring. “I tried very hard to move on from my former self-loathing self. This new life…” She prods her index finger at her jeans, tracing small imaginary circles on it. “I wanted to make it more meaningful and not just be a shadow of my past.”

Max nods silently. _‘If I could redo my life from the very beginning, there would be many things I would have done differently.’_ Her eyes sail toward the curtains that cushion against the sunlight. _‘Then again, I may have ended up to be a totally different person that I wouldn’t even recognize myself… Like Maxine in Rachel’s timeline or the timeline where Chloe is in a wheelchair.’_

Rachel continues, “I’ve moved on and become stronger than my former self.” She clears her throat, “Well, at least I like to think so. I kept preparing myself for that one day that I would ever meet you. Many nights I would pace around my room, rehearsing what I would say to you. Including both scenarios in whether or not that I would explain my time powers and past history with you and how you would react to it.” She peeks with shyness at the brunette, “Now, here you are… And, I still don’t know what to say.”

Max jets out a ‘thumbs up’, “It’s cool. I think you’re rather collected and doing an amazing job given the situation. And, you don’t have to say anything at this very moment.” _‘I could sense the real struggle from Rachel. And now, I’m finally acknowledging it. But somehow… I couldn’t sympathize with that other Rachel at the time. Maybe because I knew she was from a different timeline. Or perhaps… maybe the fight we had may have planted some light on my perspective in all of this.’_

“Tell me if I’m freaking you out…” Rachel tugs on the sleeves of her jacket, “Could I get a hug?”

Max beams a sunny smile, reflecting this love right back at this mysterious girl. Not at all having a problem with this request. “Sure.” She reaches out, spreading both of her arms. 

Without much initial hesitation, Rachel leans in but halting at a notch into her advance, shuddering a curious glimpse of uncertainty. Her mouth quivers, showing a shy pause even though she’s already granted for permission. Slowly, the confidence courses into her arms to wrap it around the brunette. Her fingers feel the silky skin of Max’s back, letting out a sigh of comfort. The relief that has been long overdue between her and her best friend.

Max’s head rests comfortably on Rachel’s shoulder as she also lets out a soothing exhale, articulating the pleasantness of this affectionate touch. “I know it means a lot to you.” The freckled girl’s heart feels relieved and coated with warmth. But something still feels off. 

She reminiscences back at the time before the big reset inside the spiraling dome outside in Chloe’s backyard, where her and the other Rachel shared an intimate moment together. That Rachel was hiding the gash on her wrist and the bruises on her face. She wanted to help Max but didn’t want to burden her with any worrying thoughts. She knew her own presence and interaction would become meaningless when everything is settled down.

This continues to pick apart at Max’s mind like a buzzard pecking at a carcass. _‘I cannot stop thinking about her. Maybe deep down inside she wanted me to save her... somehow. But she knew I wouldn’t. She knew I wouldn’t care.’_ Her blue eyes drift to the source of the main natural light in the room. Sensing the ominous aura that is emanating from the backyard. _‘That was why she was frustrated. And now, it is too late.’_ Max closes her eyes, sending the lingering tears to stream down her cheeks. She wedges her head closer in the nook of Rachel’s neck, seeking for any solace permitted for her previous actions.

With her looking over and past Rachel’s shoulder right at the dining table where she had that verbal confrontation with the other Rachel. Her wistful mind paints the scene again. Ghostly figures of herself and Rachel emerge out of the unforgiving air like restless apparitions.

 _“Mousey Max! Aww, you’re so adorable…”_ The ethereal Rachel leans in with her forced enthusiasm, honing her face in for a kiss. The flickering Max sitting on the dining table chair sweeps to the side coldly, rejecting the kiss with disgust.

Rachel’s reaction is easily apparent even without a direct view of her face as she hangs her slumped body. Ever so slowly, she steers her head around unable to look anymore. Knowing that there is not a single shred of hope left in her grim and dwindling future. The two figures dissolve away in the murky scornful air without any chance for a recovery between the two.

_‘I rejected the kiss because I wanted to hurt her. To let her know forever that I will always choose Chloe instead of her.’_

That scene of the past is illustrated perfectly in the imaginative mind of the photographer. Like a moving image inside a Polaroid in her head that she wishes to jump in it and change the past. But then, what could she even change? There isn’t anything Max could have done to change the other Rachel’s eventual fate.

A sail of frost that skids against the serrated spine of Max, still cursing her for the inability to save Rachel. Just like she couldn’t save Chloe amidst the storm. Or the Chloe that is crippled and bounded to a wheelchair.

_‘I don’t deserve this life. Not one little bit.’_

Rachel can sense the sorrow drumming right above her left shoulder. She gives a gentle pat on the back, “Wow, didn’t think…” Her hazel eyes drift to the sobbing girl, “...you would respond like this.” She presses her cheek in one more time then draw back but remaining her grip with Max. Her eyes widen seeing the red and puffiness of Max’s eyes, “You’re crying...” Her eyebrows lower, immediately thinking if she is responsible or whether her old best friend is truly welling up in this very moment.

The weeping girl’s eyebrows crease as she spaces out into the dark azure carpet that floods all around her. _‘I may be stating out the obvious but I’m just thinking about how these time powers gave me another chance with everything. Gave me a chance to reunite with Chloe after leaving her for five years. And after that when I felt I was all alone in this world, there was Kate who stood by my side this entire time. And, even when I didn’t know her at all, Rachel helped-’_

Her body hitches to a soft stutter as her eyes stare at the beautiful girl that is reflecting back with worried eyes. The way Rachel looks at her is full of authentic devotion. There is nothing fake about her. Like as if she is staring at someone that meant the whole entire world to her. But even with a look that is full of tenderness, Max’s guilt still pierces apart her body, exposing the engulfing void that lies beneath it.

Max sniffs her nose, focusing on the girl in front of her. _‘I’ll protect you, Rachel. I will this time. I promise.’_ Her voice cracks, “This time trip just made me realize so many things in my life. Giving me many opportunities. I love Chloe...” Her eyebrows lower, sailing her eyes quickly toward the yard and back. “Kate… and…” Her blue eyes connect again the model. “...You…”

“Me?” Rachel’s eyes light up with a mixture of innocence and skepticism, forcing her to release her contact. She scrunches up her shoulders, resting both of her hands behind her head. “You hardly know me. At least, I don’t think you know me that well.” Her joking voice gets halted as she senses the uneasiness that is still being emitted from Max. 

She curbs her curiosity and steers away to deflect the tenseness, “Sorry, I’m still confused as fuck.” She takes a deep breath, giving a gentle nod. “But this is going better than I thought.”

Max swallows the lump through her thick voice, “Yes, it is.”

Rachel arches her eyebrows rapidly trying to cheer up the mood, “So, what do you do now? Are you hardcore partying like a rock star these days?” She bites her tight lips, throwing a ‘devil-horn’ gesture with her hand.

Max shakes her head with a shallow chuckle, “Not party person. I’m a huge geek. And, a loner actually.”

Rachel reconnects her touch, squeezing one of her eyes for an alluring wink, “I find that hard to believe. Someone as beautiful as you are should be having trouble keeping all the boys...” Her tone drops to above a whisper, “...and girls at bay.” For a stammering moment, Max’s defense is caught off guard causing a hitch to her breaths. A flush rushes to the surface of her freckled face to complement with the redness of her eyes. The blonde resumes to a normal speaking volume, “But taking it easy is also cool. I like that.”

The choked-up girl inhales deeply to compose herself, beaming a smile for the sympathetic remarks toward her. “I just like to observe the world from the outside. I never liked being the center of attention.” Her lips purse in thought as she has garnered more attention that she would ever want in a lifetime. “But thanks.” Her eyes leap to the side, trying to return back with the same sympathy given to her. “I know I’m a completely different person. I can get a hint of how I was… erm… _back then_. At least how I was to you.” She presses her pouty lips, “I’m sorry.”

Rachel’s eyes hum in awe, then slowly lowering it back with an accompanying smile. She twins her fingers with the apologetic girl’s, “No, don’t be sorry for it. I had my own serious issues, Maxine.” She admits the flaws of her past with responsibility, “But over time, I slowly grew out of it. Of course, still not perfect but it’s going…” With her free hand, she tips her index finger up, “I may be eighteen, but I’m much older than you think.”

The hipster’s lower jaw drops, “So, you lived through your entire childhood and teenage years again?”

Rachel lets out a long straining sigh, “Yep I did. Granted, you can only experience so much reliving your years as a minor. But this time I wanted to do the school route to feel more focused and accomplished.” She winks her eyes, “Easier to ace classes when you have a cheat sheet and far more motivated this time around.”

_‘Wowsers… she lived her entire life, again? Damn… here I am complaining with just over a week with my powers. Rachel has been dealing and living with the consequence of her actions for such a long time. Not a time loop, but pretty much living to its length for a second time.’_

Max nods, “You definitely went a different route, shaping your life with your previous experience.” She throws in an optimistic jab in this moment. _‘Maybe that’s why she is so free-willed and willing to try anything. Time travel powers will do that to you. Just fuck it… live life to its fullest.’_

“Yeah…” The model shrinks her body, “Listen, I know you guys know some stuff about me. I can tell you guys are hiding something, especially Chloe.” She taps the shape of her phone through her jeans, “I checked my phone and saw some phone calls and texts that I _know_ for a fact that I would never send.” Her eyebrows lower, wanting to say something more but her own tongue holds stiff for now, waiting for an answer to confirm her suspicions. 

Max releases her fingers to rest them on the edge of the opened binder on her lap, “Umm.. can we talk about this another time?” She pleads with distress as she is not ready to do this all by herself.

Rachel’s pupils dilate, not agreeing with the request. She leans in real close, whispering into Max’s ear, “We’re alone right now.” Even as light as it is, it bears a commanding tone, “Tell me… now. Were you texting and making these calls yourself?”

“N-No…” Max dwindles her body, leaning backward from the overwhelming blanket of heat, “Rachel, I’ll tell you another time.” Her fists clench, wanting to secure it over her chest but they’re shivering in a paralyzed state. Her rugged voice chokes up, spilling with some forced confiding words, “Trust me on this.”

“Trust you?” Rachel arches her eyebrows, drifting her look across the elegant and beautiful dress. Her nose wrinkles as her memories of her old best friend overflow, surfacing rapidly. “Now, it is _all_ coming back.” Her body shrugs away with exasperation.

“Rachel…” Max inches her body closer, wanting to pry back the girl that has a sudden cold shoulder toward her. The one that she wants to protect. Feeling closed out, her stomach continues to churn at a quicker pace.

Her imagination veils the scene with darkness and the perfect angle of a side view of Rachel that almost replicates back an important moment earlier in the day. She recalls back at that footbridge high above the Portland Train Station, only a couple of hours ago. She had that talk with the _other_ Rachel. With gloom, her weary eyes reach out to the limitless horizon but only seeing the hungry end approaching.

That Rachel’s voice resonates into the photographer’s mind, _“I still like that you’re holding me back. Makes me think that you care about me.”_ Max held onto her, making sure she didn’t jump off the bridge. So, she could stay long enough to assist with Jefferson and Nathan in case the plan goes awry.

The color seeps away from the freckled girl’s pasty face, her eyelids slowly weighing down as her heart becomes honest with her mind with everything she felt about the Rachel from another timeline.

 _“When I do go back to my timeline, will you still hold me back from jumping? Do you know yourself in the other timeline well enough?”_ That Rachel asked the question if Max knew her own counterpart, Maxine well enough. But it is pretty clear and evident of the soft spoken time traveler’s intentions. She did let Rachel go. Max let Rachel fall back into the anomaly so she can rot to an agonizing death in her doomed timeline. As well as preserve the future of everyone that she cared for in this timeline.

_‘I was feeling weak but... did I not try hard enough to hold you back from falling? I couldn’t save you, Rachel. Because I… didn’t want to save you.’_

Max blinks, coating a fresh gleam to her eyes, which is plastered with demon-red blood vessels that fork across it. _‘The truth is… I’m scared of you, Rachel. I didn’t know you. I just didn’t know you. I am a coward. But you knew that. I needed Chloe and my parents more than anything else… and anyone else.’_

Her own self-justifications paint a dark wretched reflection of her own mental state. And she cannot stomach it, “R-Rach…” Her eyes gushing as well as her throat caving in to choke out her glacial breaths from her ice-cold heart, “R-Rachel…”

The pouty girl turns around sharply, “Max…” Her body stiffens, jerking her head back, “Hey, you’re crying again...”

“I’m sorry.” Max traps her lips with her hand as if she trying to prevent the torrent of sorrow from flowing out, “I’m so sorry for everything. I know it means nothing since it is all in the past… but still…” Her blue eyes connect with the beautiful girl, “...I’m very sorry.”

The model’s muscles become rigid, her tone stammers to a gentle tone, “Max… again... don’t be. Please…” She puffs out a sigh, nodding softly to accept that she needs to restrain herself. “I... I’m sorry if I pushed you. I just…” She exhales again, interrupting herself to let the other time traveler talk.

Max tightens her weak spine, trying to hold back any more of the gushing. “Time travel is just crazy and my brain feels like it is melting.” She presses her knuckles against the side of her skull which seems to be the epicenter of her pulsating migraine. “I can tell you something…” Her puffy eyes hone in onto the blonde, “...but promise you’ll believe me?”

Rachel’s voice is compassionate and sympathetic, “Okay...” She swallows her throat, nodding with an imposed smile, “I promise.”

Max gazes deeply into the eyes of the model to silently siphon trust from her. Needing a moment to try and form words into her mind on how to deliver the news that there was another Rachel that took over her body, who is possibly a more powerful time traveler than the both of them.

But at the same time, still trying to stay focused and not deter toward the more grim topics like her death and involvement with Jefferson. “While you were out, there was another _Rachel_ that took over your body.” She glances down at her right hand for a moment, then returning back, “In fact, she was the one that used her powers to change everything.”

Rachel arches her eyebrows with glowing interest, “Changed everything?” Her eyes dart around nervously, “Was she from the future?” Instead of being doubtful, she seems rather intrigued.

“Well… this is where it gets _really_ strange. I’m from the future and she’s from the past. But somehow we were able to meet up.” Max combs her hair, “She was from the period before you reset everything to save your father.” She wets her lips, tugging tightly on her wrist, “When you and I were best friend. In her timeline, the year is 2016.”

Disbelief crinkles into Rachel’s eyes about the mention of her big reset. Even though she is the most popular girl in school, deep down inside she is a lonely being that is braving this journey with a burdensome guilt that she is always carrying. Never thinking anything in the world could ever shock her again.

“That’s fucking crazy. She’s from that period?” She blouses her jacket, feeling beads of sweat are seeping out of the pores to join her clammy skin. “This is just too much.” She dips her head down, spacing out on their faint reflection on the powered-off television in front of them. 

_‘It is indeed, too fucking much.’_ “Yes, it is.” The freckled girl can sense Rachel isn’t quite convinced yet, deciding to reinforce her message across. “She told me how I was in that timeline. That I ran away from home to join her.”

The words of someone else’s acknowledging of this _phantom_ history that no one else should know about claws tightly against Rachel’s throat. She stutters and lifts her head to feel the mixture of pleasing confirmation as well as the sting that encompasses her dreaded past.

Her voice is quaking, “That was… the darkest period of my life.” She squeezes her eyes close, “Shit! My brain is hurting.” She slides her knuckles down the length of her hair, “How did _she_ meet up with you?”

Max lets in a sharp inhale to soothe her aching lungs, “She was able to hop over to this timeline from hers. Bad things happened in this timeline’s future and she wanted to use her powers to help out.” She presses her lips tightly as there are still unresolved issues pending. And, this includes Rachel’s lover Mark Jefferson.

“Bad things? Like what…?”

The freckled girl crosses her legs and her arms, feeling the tension that she is treading close to dangerous territory and have to be careful with what she says. “I don’t want to go into details, Rachel. But the _other_ version of you saved me.” She digs her chin to her upper chest, “I... didn’t even know her… I didn’t even know you.”

Rachel focuses deeply into Max’s eyes, still feeling the urge to pry for more at the puzzling and fragile girl. She shifts her body closer to sneak a glance at the binder that rests on Max’s lap. The photographer’s fingers are still on top of the two photos but not in an arrangement that would shroud them. 

“Hey, what is this picture? I don’t remember this.” Rachel examines the earlier Blackwell photo where both Chloe and Rachel pinned Max in the middle with their own kiss. Her tongue is swift, “I kissed you?” Her eyebrows lower examining the rest of this foreign photo, “Wait, how long exactly was I out for? My mind is drawing too big of a blank. Few hours?” Rachel’s pulse quickens that even Max can sense it through their connected wrist. She continues, “Or… longer? Tell me, how long was I out for?”

“I-I…” Max stammers, choking up as she feels her walls are closing in again on her. 

Rachel quickly sees the crumbling of her best friend. She puts aside her looming conjectures and leans in close to reel the girl in, holding her by the waist. She whispers into her ear, sounding very sincere and full of concern, “Alright, I’m sorry. So, what do you want to talk about? You want to talk about _her_?” She points at her own self in the picture that she does not remember. “So uh… where is she now?”

 _‘Thank god. She’s giving me a break.’_ Max prods her two index fingers at each other, “She went back to her own timeline. That’s why you have control of your body.” She hunches her body, bracing for the imminent impact, “Are you mad? Or feel violated?”

Rachel bites the inside of her lower lip, wanting to throw a punch in the air, “Fuck yeah, I feel violated. Hmm…” She directs her attention, tugging on the collar to look down at her chest. “Yeah, she must have liked this fancy bra. It is weird to pick this bra with this casual outfit.”

The beautiful girl’s leopard print bra pokes out of her shirt. Instinctively, Max straightens her back to get a better view of the ample curves of Rachel. “Oh…” Her dull lips utter that out automatically.

Rachel connects her gaze with the dreamy brunette, “Hey! I didn’t say you can look at it.”

Max leaps up half a foot but internally it feels like ten stories up in the air, “I’m sorry!” She waves her hand in an attempt to fan out the flames, “I’m so sorry, Rachel!”

“You know…” Rachel curls her lips, feigning irritation. “Since you saw my goodies...” Her eyes target at the chest of the freckled girl, “You have to show me yours.” 

Max takes a slow deep gulp, “Seriously?” Her arms shrug to cover her own lackluster upper body, “There isn’t much to see.”

“Oh…” The model nods with her wide hazel eyes, “...Actually, there is much to see. I’ve seen Maxine naked many times since we shared a bedroom together.” A smile hangs in the corner of her lips, recalling her past memories, “Maxine would sleep topless during the warm summer nights. Saw her walk out of the bathroom naked because she forgot her clothes.” She leans in close, her volume dropping a few levels, “Walked in when she was touching herself…”

“Ooof…” Max shifts her shielding hands from her chest to her lips. Her body grimaces, feeling a tightening to her chest.

“What?!” Rachel grin widens, feigning surprise. “I didn’t say it was you. It is Maxine that I caught masturbating.”

The taboo act still invokes a wave of humiliation that trickles into the shy hipster. “Ahhh…” She shrieks softly, hugging her own body tightly as if she is shielding her body from being compromised, “Still so awkward. Maxine in a way is still _me_ …”

“There’s nothing wrong with doing that.” Rachel stretches both her arms nonchalantly. She shrugs, “If it makes you feel better, you caught me more times than I caught you.”

“Gah!” Max’s stomach hardens to charge up her irritated but playful tone, “That doesn’t make me feel better!”

“Why?” Rachel tips her nose up in the air, “Oh! Because you want to remember vividly of me touching myself to call it fair?”

“Yes!... erm...” Max quickly curbs her mouth with her hands but she already spew out the wrong words. She slides it up to her hair, weaving her fingers in between. Her fingertips feeling her scalp is seething with a heat of humiliation. “Ahh!”

Rachel cries with laughter, “Holy crap! Max, you’re so adorable.” She locks in with the blooming brunette, wrapping her arms around her. “Sorry, if I got carried away but you’re irresistible and too damn cute, right now.” She brushes her cheek against the glowing freckled face, “You’re so different from Maxine.”

Max pulls her hands, resting it on her lap, “No, it’s cool.” She regains some of her composure but still feeling the heat, “I like that you have no problems in saying whatever you want. I can’t do that because I get shy and begin sputtering like a moron. Then that alone makes me even more shy so it keeps building up until I freak out.” She squeezes her eyes with a toothy grin. “I’m a shy moron compared to Maxine. It is like our personalities swapped.”

Rachel curls her shoulder, “To be honest, I wish I had your personality again.”

Max scoffs, “Being shy and introverted as hell?” She lets out a groan, “I don’t know, Rachel. You’re so popular and everyone loves you.”

The blonde straightens her body to fully face the hipster. Her face is more serious yet inviting, “Back then I was also like you… shy and reserved. I also thought the same way as you. But the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s far from it, sometimes.”

“Oh…” Max slumps her body, “I guess it easier to see the positive traits in others than your own.”

“Yup! Exactly.” Rachel nods sunnily, “When you’re in good company, there’s no reason to not be yourself.” She taps her finger at Max’s nose, triggering a giggle from the small girl.

“Yeah, you’re totally right.” Max finally relaxes her body, letting in the warm aura to blanket her body.

_‘Damn, I can see why Chloe crush on Rachel. She really makes you feel welcome. Hell, I’m crushing on her right now.’_

Rachel eyes her own chest again, being reminded about her body being controlled. Her smile dwindles away, “So uh, back to the body control part...” She transitions into a sigh, “I guess I didn’t think of time travel working this way. Or maybe didn’t think another copy of me could take over my body and share my pain.” Her eyes refocus back onto the geek, “So, could you tell me a little about her?”

Max leans her head sideway letting it get propped by her palm, “I’m sorry. I know you went through a very difficult time. If you hate me, I wouldn’t blame you.”

The blonde closes her eyes, putting her hand up, “No, I’m much better now. I feel… reborn. Away from my shitty old self. Erm… no offense to that other _me._ ” Rachel’s confident words silently stir more sadness into Max, making her feeling remorse for the other Rachel who never got that chance to reborn. The blonde beams cheerily at her, “So… that’s how you know about me, huh? From this Rachel?

“Yeah…”

Rachel lowers her eyes with a growing sly smile yet maintaining a joyful look, “Was she… at least nice to you?”

Max displays a radiant burst of enthusiasm to defend and praise this person, “Yes! She was very nice to me!”

The beautiful girl chuckles with a content tone, “That’s good. I’m glad she voiced her true feelings to you. _My_ true feelings.” She clarifies, “I admit in my darkest time, even though I was furious with you.” She presses both of her hands into her chest, “Deep down inside, I absolutely cared and loved you with my entire heart. I really did. So, I am very glad she was true to that.” Her face begins blooming with love, “Judging how sweet you are to me… it seems like you and that other version of me got along very well, huh?”

_‘No…’_

The unmanaged amount of remorse detonates like muffled grenades, sending countless of razor shards to decorate the insides of Max. Her body recoils upward, squeezing her throat tightly in rapid kneading pressure. “We got in a _huge_ fight.” The voice snaps as the sorrow batters up her neck, “That’s why she’s no longer here anymore.”

Rachel’s eyes widen, expelling the color on her skin. Seeing Max’s body language seems to spread the melancholy into her flesh as well, only to instill even more confusion into her body. She scrambles to put in the most generic reply, “I’m sure you did the right thing and had a good reason.”

Max shakes her head profusely, “No, I didn’t. She was so angry and upset that she didn’t belong in this timeline that she saved.” She grasps at her hair, wanting to pull some strands out of her scalp to get a little bit closer to her throbbing headache, “Maxine in her timeline is now with Chloe. She is going to leave _her_.”

Rachel prods her tongue against the inside of her cheek, not showing much of any surprise, “Maxine did… shred my heart into pieces.” She cradles her hand into her own chest like she is trying to feel the mended scars that plaster across her heart. Her eyes focus at the sobbing hipster, “But you shouldn’t sweat it. It is a totally different timeline. There is nothing you can do.”

 _‘Fuck…’_ Hearing the news of how fiendish her own counterpart continues to send unpleasant thoughts about the fate of that other Rachel. _‘She is all alone. She abandoned her. I abandoned her.’_ More and more confirmation she receives about the dreadfulness of that timeline and the cruelty of her own self, her heavy lungs quicken to coat her throat with aridness. “S-She…slit her wrist before she came over this timeline.” She traces a line across her left wrist, “...not exactly deliberately. She accidentally fast-forwards through time and winds up in the middle of self-mutilating herself.”

Rachel covers her mouth, muffling through it, “Gosh…” Her eyes scan to the left, “That’s… horrible.” She shows a slight hint of discomfort as she also ventured to such dark territories before.

“I’m such a monster to you, huh?” Her eyes quiver, trying to maintain contact as much as possible. She is speaking not just her counterpart, but also herself in general. “Please don’t hide it. I know you will never admit to it.”

“Max…” The sharp tongue of the blonde is choked up, not wanting to disclose anything else. She shows concern toward her own counterpart and her past life, “So what happened after she found herself slitting her own wrist?”

“She covered the wound the best she could and headed straight here.” Max looks out the covered window into the backyard, remembering that spot she met with Rachel. “She knew her end was coming real soon so she wanted to use her powers to save my timeline before it is over.”

“Over?...” Rachel lowers her eyes, “Max…”

“No one loves her. No one cares about her...” She squeaks weakly, “...Not anymore...”

Rachel slouches her head, unable to say anything to cheer the conversion up. There isn’t too much context she can base out of. The past is something that she always wanted to forget, but seeing her old remorseful best friend pries all of this back up from deep within her troubled memories. Rachel opens with a soft sympathetic tone, “Do you love her?” She blinks asking the impossible question, “Do you want to save her?”

Max continues to look down, gazing at her prom dress with a long distant stare. She doesn’t want to answer the question as everything is completely choked up in her body. From her mind, her throat, and down to her heart.

Rachel sighs softly, “Sorry… shitty question.” Her head tilts up toward the ceiling for the last girl they are waiting for. “We can grab food once Chloe comes down.”

Max blinks rapidly with wretchedness, reaching to tug on Rachel’s wrist to draw her attention. She mutters back, “I’m not even sure if I have an appetite. My head is still spinning. But after dinner...” Her eyebrows furrow, “...I’ll tell you everything… Everything you ever wanted to know.” She casts a nervous shrug, “I know you’re popular and have your crew as well as the Vortex Club…” Rachel exhales deeply, rolling her eyes slightly and showing a hint of shame with her status and reputation at Blackwell Academy.

Max continues, “I know you avoided and grew away from me. But now I want to know more about you. Tell me about your entire journey from the very beginning and all the struggles you faced.” She gently cradles Rachel’s hands into her own, “It doesn’t matter if it is all in the past. Or in a timeline that got reset. They were all important to you, so they are to me as well.” Rachel’s breaths hitch as glimmers spot across her eyes. 

Max swallows to relieve the lump in it, “I want to be your friend.” In the mind of this girl, she wants to begin this long road of mending. “I want to be your best friend, again.” Her eyes hold steady onto the beautiful girl, remaining focused and earnest.

Those words send Rachel to jerk her head back, echoing with a mournful gasp as she was holding her breaths while listening eagerly. “Oh, Max… Now I’m…” Her voice trails off for a moment, flooding with emotions that snatch at her neck, “I had many weird dreams that I would hear the words _‘I want to be your best friend’_ from you one day whenever we will meet.” Her head leans to the side, cringing a bit, “Not sure if it was premonitions or wishful thinking. I never thought it would happen because I used my powers to reset everything. There is no way I ever could hear those words coming from you.” She releases her grip, dangling her arms freely and grazing against the front base of the couch, “It’s been fifteen years… and here you are…”

“Rachel, you been through a lot.” Max reconnects, resting her hand on the blonde’s shoulder, “Hell, you been doing this for much longer than I have.”

“Max, I’ve been a stubborn person. This time powers always haunted me. I wanted to open my arms and live my life freely but it is virtually impossible as a time traveler.” Her shoulder slumps down, “In reality, I don’t know where my life is going toward. Or, who I really am anymore. I’m very lost, Max.” Her head tilts down, draping down her long flowing blonde hair, “I had really tough times with Maxine, that I tried my best to block away. But…” She leans her head, pressing it against Max’s resting hand, “...when I see you, my heart just warms up. I miss you, Max.” She nuzzles her head, “...I still love you.”

The words don’t stun Max too much. If anything, she receives it with a warm welcome. Like something she has been wanting to hear to ease the flames that stitch across her soul. “Rachel, I know I technically just met you, but fuck it… I’m a time traveler.” She rotates her head, letting the individual blonde strands comb her cheek, then kissing Rachel on her forehead, “I love you too, Rach.”

Rachel ever so steadily lifts her head up so she can turn and connect with Max. In Max’s mind, the enigmatic Rachel always seem like a flawless individual that was free spirited and didn’t have any care in the world. Perhaps, after Rachel lost her best friend and living her entire life again with both of her parents, she had to change her mentality with everything in life. _‘Nothing gold can stay.’_

The freckled girl captures the drifting eyes of Rachel, locking it dearly with her own blue eyes. She ambles her face closer, wrapping her arms firmly and pressing her cheek tightly against Rachel.

The blonde gracefully welcomes the warm intimate touch, “You’re even more beautiful than I remember, Max.” She also burnishes her cheek, “I really do miss you.”

Max lost in her own train of thoughts, her chest leaping against the whirling of her stomach. Still pressing her face but gazing out into the window that joins the backyard, “I’m going to protect you, Rachel. I know you try and put on a smile to be the glowing presence around everyone.” Her fingers trail along the length of Rachel’s stiff back, “You been through so many hells. And, you met a lot of people on your journey. Many are familiar faces but different people.” She smears underneath her nose, feeling the sweat boiling from it. “But I know deep down inside you feel very empty.”

Rachel’s eyes well up, leaving a shuddering to her breaths so she is unable to say anymore. Her muscles wriggle to holds tighter to this person who she threw away many years ago.

Max continues, “I’m going to be there for you, Rachel.” She hones her lips closer to her ears, “Always…”

Their warm breaths send a tingle down in each other’s neck. It is the only sound that interweaves the placid air between them.

Max gently releases so she can become lost in the beautiful hazel eyes of the mysterious Rachel. Even feeling adrift, she is determined to make everything count.

Her emotions are on the verge to bash out of her quivering lips in a diminishing effort to contain it. She inches at delicate paces pressing her lips into Rachel’s. It is a gentle peck on the lips following with a quick release to illustrate the chirpiness and friendliness to the normally reserved girl.

With her fingers, Rachel grazes her own lips that are lightly coated by the kiss from the dorky photographer. She slants her sly mouth, “So, you’re only into me because of this _other_ Rachel that took over my body?”

Max shrugs nonchalantly, “Maybe. But you’re the same way! You’re only in love with me because of _another_ Max that you grew up with.”

Rachel holds her two joined index fingers in a forgiving expression, “Touche… Yeah, fuck time travel!” Their trip through time has paved the expectations for both girls. With this knowledge they will use it to their advantage to facilitate the future they want to share together.

The hipster’s phone that is resting on the arm of the couch vibrates, drawing the attention of the two girls. The trembling phone lights up with the word ‘Mom’ on it.

Max’s lips shape into a content smile, reminding of another special person that is now saved and reunited in this new timeline, even if she is about two hundred miles away. “It’s my mom.” The video conference accept button lights up furiously demanding to be answered. “Ah, so she’s going straight for the video call...” She feels the cushion rebounds up slightly underneath her swinging her dumbfounded gaze at the girl right beside her.

Rachel has retreated slightly, as the warmth dissipates rapidly from her body. Her eyes probe at the flashing phone then returning with doe eyes. Max senses this quickly and pulls Rachel back in, bumping into her body lightly. She knows Rachel had a rough history in the past timelines with Maxine’s parents with her premonitions and running away from home. Even with the reset, it still lingers in the raven-black shadows of Rachel’s mind. 

The freckled girl answers the call but facing the front camera away as she whispers to Rachel, “It’s okay, Rach. Everything is okay, now.” Those kind but logical words seem to help diffuse the churning inside Rachel’s stomach. To hear the confirmation from her own best friend that the torment is gone. Max continues, “I want mom to meet you.”

The brief faltering moment of timidity seems to slowly evaporate from the model’s face, as she agrees to meet her old best friend’s mother, “Alright.”

Max adjusts her phone, directing the camera to face herself. Momma Bear has a stern and wide face on the video call, “Maxine Caulfield. You didn’t pick up your call earlier. Hey…” Her own curiosity interrupts her nagging lecture, noticing a glimpse of the elegant outfit that differs from her daughter’s normal wear. “You’re wearing the prom dress? Ooh, are you getting a nice dinner with Chloe?”

“Yep! Real soon! But there is someone else I want you to meet.” Max eyes the blonde girl, giving a silent assuring look that everything is still alright. “Rachel, this is my mom.” She tilts the phone, aiming the front camera at the girl beside her.

Rachel’s muscles stiffen across her body at the sight of Vanessa. But the mother seems amiable as she is astonished. She puts on her most affable front, “Hi! I’m Rachel Amber.”

The mother’s eyes bolt brightly through the pixelated video, “Wow! I’m Vanessa, Max’s mommy.” She adds quickly, “You’re so pretty! Are you also taking my precious baby to dinner?” She is quick with praise as well as humiliating her own daughter.

Rachel laughs wholeheartedly, loving the enthusiasm that is reflected toward her. “Haha… Yes, I am.” She puffs out a glowing cheeky smile, “Are you okay with that?”

“Of course! As long as she is in good hands. Say… Are you a model?”

“Uh…” The beautiful girl puffs out a nervous smile, “...my thoughts about it change from time to time.” She shrugs her shoulders, “But that is the plan.”

Vanessa puts on her motherly voice, “Well, Max is a photographer.” The voice only a mother would use to showboat their child’s talent, “She may use some dainty old Polaroid camera. But she is very skilled and gifted. Maybe she can do a photo shoot with you?”

A radiant smile forms with Rachel’s lips, “Oh! I would love to!”

“Go… get on it, Max!” Vanessa’s eyes around, looking for her missing daughter that isn’t visible from her perspective. She commands her, “Go take some pictures with your gorgeous friend. Or, I’m going to drag you back to school.”

“Mom…” Max lets out groans but it tapers into a smile.

#### Max Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Price Residence - 1F

#### March 21th, 2013 6:53 PM

The front door of the house thunders open as Chloe peers to search for a missing hipster and cinnamon roll. “Alright, where are you losers? Kate… Max, get your skinny asses in gear!” She creaks the door wider, allowing more of the dying sun to flow in, “If you guys aren’t deciding on a place, then we definitely are going to Two Whales.” She shrugs her shoulders relaxedly, “Besides, we should get there before my mom’s shift is over so I can get free food while you jerkoffs pay for your own.” 

She swirls her hand over her belly in a circular and content manner, smacking her lips in trance of the delicious breakfast that can be eaten at any time of the day. More importantly, it is going to be free. At least, she is praying that it would be. Her eyes open sharply, knocking out of her brief daydream, “Max?”

“I’ll be there, Chloe,” Max shouts across the first floor of the house from the backyard which has the glass sliding door opened between them.

Rachel approaches Chloe from behind, tiptoeing herself and pressing her chin against the shoulder of the taller girl.

Chloe swings her head around with a smile, “Yo dude, I heard Firewalk is going to headline in Portland later this summer. Remember when they were _nobodies_ and played at that janky mill?”

Rachel bares her teeth, nodding, “Oh fuck yes! That night was tight as hell. I totally bailed you from those fucking losers.”

The bluenette blooms slightly as that was when she finally realized she was developing a bond with Rachel. She pats on the model’s hair, “Yeah yeah… You were my badass hero sporting with that rocker girl’s get-up.” Her eyebrows arch, “Did you hear their second album is coming out at the end of summer? August 31st, I think.”

“Oh shit, I heard! There are new members in the band but they vowed to keep it in the spirit of the original. I’m still fucking hyped for it. Never preordered something faster in my life.” Rachel leans even closer, “I understand people have mixed feeling about it. But people need to chill the hell up. Go in with a mixed level of excitement and skepticism.” She sighs in disappointment with the fan base of the band, “Can’t be stuck at a single release forever. If you like their stuff, then fucking awesome! Then if you don’t, then fuck it… don’t like it!”

“Preach it, sister…” Chloe nods to her angel’s wise words, “People are just afraid of changes. It isn’t like the first release will go _poof_ when the second album releases. They think the universe revolves around only two people in Firewalk. Fuck that shit-”

“Just one more minute…!” Max unknowingly interrupts the conversation between the two older girls. Rachel and Chloe halt politely, turning back their attention across the house.

Over at the backyard, Max’s eyes are anchored at the flickering time anomaly that still lies in the middle of the backyard. A faded shadow of Rachel from the other timeline can still be seen but its exact features aren’t clear through the distorted mosaic of achromatic color.

_‘How long is this going to be here? To remind that I cannot do anything. And, to remind that she could also come back any time to destroy me.’_

Kate buries her joined hands close against her chest, “Max, is she okay?” She exhibits some knowledge of how the time powers work in regards to the gateway between the timelines.

Max doesn’t respond back as droplets of sweat are already forming down her flushed neck. She takes a deep breath and with hesitation, she plods into the time bubble.

Inside, it is disorienting and suffocating like it is a lone unnatural pocket of air submerged in the Pacific Ocean. The aura saps the air from Max’s lungs with the roof of the dome seems like it could collapse any minute now. But being inside, Max could see the body of Rachel with much more clarity but it still remains in a frozen stasis state. The blonde is lying on her back, grasping at her wound on her left wrist. Her eyes are closed but she doesn’t seem like she is unconscious. Her eyebrows are furrowed with regret and some fresh tears that hang down the edge of her eyes.

This is the very person that wanted to tear apart this timeline. But Max cannot help but feel anything but pure sorrow and pity for this enemy of hers. And, that she is at least partially responsible for the fragile state that Rachel is in.

Max looks up through the short ceiling, seeing the two faded moons that are barely visible but pricking against her eye sockets with guilt. Then, her gaze tracks down at the fallen person that attacked her. She collapses on her knees, scrunching forward on all fours. With dwindling sluggish effort, she crawls toward the motionless time traveler. 

Max inspects the closed eyes of Rachel as courage slowly imbues into her frail body. She whispers to her, “Wake up...” Her request from her heart contradicts her fear of the enraged but broken time traveler. Max sniffs her nose as again the overwhelming loss of hope churns sharply in her stomach. She knows that Rachel cannot hear her but a part of her is still hoping somehow she could to ease her conscience. “I had a really nice talk with Rachel.” She refers to the new Rachel that took back over her body. The popular girl that everyone loves. “She was very sweet and loving to me.” Her pressed lips teeter back and forth, “Thanks to you, I’m starting to get a grasp of everything.”

_‘...but only after you departed from this timeline. It is too late now that you are gone.’_

She stiffens her body, scooting her knees closer. “They all love me. And, I love them all.” She turns around toward the house, wondering if someone could be observing her. Max drops her paranoia and continues, “You’re a strong person. I know you will regain your footing.” She turns around with her vision bursting in distortion as a layer of tears shroud it. “Please take care of yourself and forget about me, okay?”

 _“Because you have no one else in both timelines. At the end of the path, you found that everyone has closed their doors on you.”_ Max’s guilty conscience easily fills the rest of it in. Or, perhaps someone else with her voice. 

The brunette’s eyes dilate, feeling a sudden twisted fork of terror that is observing her relentlessly. Through the bubbling haze, she can see a blurry solitary silhouette that is sitting on the swing set of the backyard. The figure is shaped to resemble Max. 

Uncertain, if it is truly another copy of her or something crafted in her own self-convicting imagination. _‘What the fuck? That nightmare version of me is back?’_

She squints her eyes but still unable to see clearly. Her rugged breaths sink down to the body beneath her. The sense of hopelessness from Rachel flows into the veins of Max, pulling her closer to the ghostly figure. A growing sense of frustration also coats into the brunette. 

Tormented by all of these conflicting thoughts that slice at her abdomen area, she smashes her fist onto the earth. Suddenly, a warped whip of blue lightning shoots out of her right fist. Her lungs become quiet like a mausoleum that lies outside of time.

_‘What the fuck? What’s going on with my powers?’_

Her heart beats louder almost like it has risen to join her eardrums, breaking the silence of the barren scene. Her fingers tremble again, feeling the vortex of energy that weaves between her fingertips. _‘Fuck… I know for a fact I just used my powers for a fraction of a second. This isn’t going to create any tornadoes, right?’_

However, her elevated curiosity overrides her fears of her doomsday powers. She squeezes her fist again as her vision flickers for a moment triggering a thump that almost bursts her own heart in intensity. 

A glimpse of a brown ponytail nestles comfortably on her shoulder with a clouded window that gazes into the abyss of the night. The colors flicker between light and dark, stealing all the air from her throat. Max gasps sharply, releasing her grip to revert the disjointed scene back to normal.

_‘What the fuck? No way! I’m getting out of here!’_

She crawls back up on her knees, waddling herself out of the dome. 

“Max-? _Ahhhh!!!_ ” Kate screams, toppling backward as the clumsy hipster crashes into the shins of Kate. The church girl groans as the wind is ejected forcefully from the impact. She teeters her teeth, rubbing her eyes, “Ugh... are you okay?” Showing kind concerns for the accident-prone careless girl.

Max knocks off the stars that are spiraling over her head, realizing the damage she caused from her doofus move. “Kate!” She crawls with a full panic state, hovering her body right above hers.

Quick sprints of footsteps close in on them as the two hellraisers halt in front of the opened door. “Hey? I heard a ruckus-... Oh, hello!” Chloe’s lips twist with deceitful nature, seeing the two girls are caught in a compromising position. 

“Hmm…” Rachel coos and playfully elbows at the punk at the adorable sight, “...they are kind of cute together.”

“Chloe! Rachel!” Max pushes her own throbbing body up, scrambling back on her feet but still careful to not kick the hair bun girl below, “Shit… did anything fucking strange happen? It is still March, right?” She takes a quick glance at the swing set. The other Max isn’t there anymore. Her body straightens up, peering at the sky and pacing in small circles around to survey the surroundings. “I accidentally used my powers... but… no fucking tornado, right?” 

The other three girls also look up in the air with bemusement, trying to spot remotely anything that could relate to _what_ the crazy person is saying.

The brunette paces around, “No beached whales? Snowfalls? Or… a crazy flock of birds crashing into buildings, right?”

“Umm... no… Can’t say I’ve seen any beached whales in Chloe’s backyard.” Rachel brushes her jay earring, “What’s up? What powers are you talking about?”

Max cycles her gaze between the girls, “I saw Rachel. The one that just left from this timeline.” She points behind her without looking back, “An image of her body is frozen in the anomaly. I was just trying to say _‘Goodbye’_ to her. But…” She grips her hand, “I could feel like…” She clarifies herself, “No… I’m pretty certain I can also slip over to her timeline. Just like she did to this timeline.”

Kate crawls herself back up, dusting off her leggings, “Max…”

Chloe exclaims, “Seriously? That’s fucking crazy!” She doesn’t doubt the words of her best friend given the frantic state she is in. Knowing it is the real deal.

Max runs up to the newly met blonde girl, joining her hands, “Rachel… What the hell should I do? How would you react if…” She asks the impossible question that she knows this person will never know. A grimace grows in her face, rising with frustration, “Fuck! I promised you that I wouldn’t leave you-” Her voice cuts off, unable to finish her sentence.

The model reels the girl closer, “Max, come here…” She dips her beautiful face, studying deeply, “Time travel is a bitch. But take your time to gather your thoughts...”

Max looks back at the model as her face is starting to bring back the awful memories she had with the other Rachel. It has been a long treacherous journey and she cannot wait for it to all end with a happy ending. A happy ending for herself and these other three girls that circle around her. And also locking up both Jefferson and Nathan and calling it a day. Max knows she deserves it, “I can’t. I just can’t go to her timeline.” She squirms away, dipping her distressed head in shame, “I’m sorry. It’s just too scary.”

Chloe reaches in patting on her best friend, choosing to remain behind her on whatever decision she makes. “Max. It’s alright. No one was expecting you to do such of a crazy thing.”

The brunette dodges her face seeing Kate who has a pouty look. _‘Kate… is worried about the other Rachel. She really feels bad for her. She said I was the only one that could save her… Sorry Katie, I can’t do that.’_ She chews the inside of her lips, continue to shroud herself from the other girls, turning behind to look back at the waning hemisphere. 

Max’s eyes twitch, seeing that the other version of herself is back, sitting solemnly on the swing in the corner. She is wearing a short sleeve black shirt with a faded moth design. The same outfit she wore in the Dark Room. There isn’t any anger on her face. She just looks back at Max with a neutral look without any words before dissolving away. Leaving nothing but the forlorn swing set to haunt this foreboding scene. Max almost wishes that her nightmare-ish counterpart would say something to steer her chaotic mind onto any route.

Rachel wraps a single arm around Max, trying to drag her away to deter the subject, “Okay then… let’s go get some food. Shall we?”

Max stumbles half of a step back from the pull then forcefully turning around to follow Rachel, “Okay…” All the girls enter back into the house, turning their backs onto the faint time anomaly to leave behind the other Rachel. They all make their way toward the front of the house. “I’m going to use the bathroom real quick,” the freckled girl mutters, entering the last door right before the front door.

She turns on the faucet but stopping her hands short of the cascading stream. The sound of the falling water seems to release the repressed walls in her mind, letting her thoughts flow freely.

_‘I can hear but I choose not to listen. I can see but I won’t acknowledge. Sometimes in life, you just have to accept with what you have. You may feel remorseful after the decisions you make. Every day, you may look at yourself in the mirror and call yourself a monster.’_

_‘But one day… you will stop doing that. You will get past that self-brooding stage by enjoying the company that surrounds you. You will become stronger. You will rise up and forget the horrors in the past.’_

_‘Rachel, wherever you are in your timeline… I know you will hate me forever. I do hope to make peace with you one day. Perhaps, maybe in heaven. Or, in hell. I also hope in your life, you will never encounter another self-seeking person like me ever again.’_

_‘Rachel… Chloe… Kate… I’m so sorry. I’m not a good person. I’m not a strong person. I have been through so much and I’m ready to take a much needed rest from all of this. Maybe one day, I can look at myself to finally say ‘I deserved this.’ Or perhaps, maybe I never will.’_

The other girls peek silently into the half-opened door, observing the body language and reflection of the freckled girl with the running water that doesn’t even meet the skin of her extended hands.

The white sink has a trace of residue grime that is stuck at the bottom but it still a pleasant sanctuary to bury her gaze into. Voices from the past from their first physical encounter outside in the dorms, crawl deep inside her skin.

 _“I don’t know, Rachel. But I’m so happy that I can feel you.”_ Max’s voice in the past is glazed with joy in finally seeing and feeling this _other_ Rachel. She is the other time traveler that truly shared the pain that Max had.

 _“Uh...what exactly were you feeling?”_ Rachel jokes, causing a blushing hitch in the hipster’s mouth.

The sassy girl continues, _“Alright, I’m cashing in. Repay me now…Give me a kiss, I dare you.”_ Max hiccups in her posture, being reminded of what Chloe said to her in that hell week that never happened.

Max blinks out of her trance returning back fully in the bathroom. She chuckles to herself but her lips draw to a frown quickly. The delightful memories were very warm for that other Rachel in the beginning. Because Max needed someone. Anyone to help her to get through her personal hell.

She gradually lifts her head to gaze deeply into the mirror. Her vision becoming more and more distorted. She sees herself of course, but something is different. Her eyes are even redder and swollen. Her make up are partially runny down from her tears. It is her own reflection of when she ran into the restroom after knowing that her prom date has tricked and ditched her to be all alone.

Max, who is also wearing the very same prom dress does nothing but stare at the mirror in disgust of how cruel the world is. How cruel it is to her. _‘Time travel doesn’t burn away the shadows that linger in my head. They will remain there forever.’_

She gazes at her pitiful self in the mirror, “I’m sorry…” She whispers to her own reflection as if she is another entity that is forced to live through the nightmares created by Max’s numerous poor decisions in life.

Sensing the faltering state in the brunette, Kate steps boldly into the bathroom past the two older girls, joining the troubled girl by the sink. She is the angel that has been observing all of this.

Max looks with wavering eyes, focusing the best she can with the pair of angelic eyes in front of her, “What would you do?”

“What?” Kate replies automatically.

Repeating herself, “Kate, what would you do?” 

The church girl eyes dart back and forth, unable to defer the question any longer. She knows exactly what the time traveler is referring to. “I-I… don’t know.” 

Max’s eyes focus deeply into her hazel eyes, “You loved her. You wanted to be there for her.”

Kate’s body twists sideway, wanting to dodge all of this. “I-I… just say it… but I know it isn’t that simple. I may be a coward and lying to myself.” She shrugs her shoulders, “What I want, doesn’t matter.”

“A coward like me, huh?” Max brushes some lingering tears off with her forearm, then her fingers twin with Kate’s, “You always mattered to me, Kate. In that other timeline, when you were pushed to the edge and climbed up to that roof, I knew it in my blood I absolutely had to save you. Even if I had to push my body through hell using my powers.” She looks down at their interlocked hands, hesitant about the merit of her accomplishments. “I know this is in the past and it doesn’t even matter to you.”

The hair bun girl’s eyebrows arch sharply, “No! Of course, it matters to me. Thank you so much for being there, Max.” A smile glows out of her optimistic face, “Everything happens for a reason even if it is from a different timeline. It eventually guided you to come to me for help.” She holds both of her hands into her chest, “Sure, Rachel may have used her time powers to help jumpstart my _‘time-travel-is-actually-real’_ mindset. But in the end, we are each other’s angels.”

“Angels…” Max mutters the foolish word when it is used in the context of herself. She recalls back to the night when she tried to confide into Kate about her powers. But the sweet angel didn’t believe her at first. “That’s right. We were outside the dorms talking to each other when Rachel used her powers to rewind but also preserving your memories. So you could remember our talk and believe about the existence of time powers.” She blinks sluggishly, “If it weren’t for Rachel, we may not be…” Her eyes scan the slightly rumpled walls of the restroom, “... together in this room right now.”

Kate presses her lips tightly, “Y-yeah. I like to think I would be able to stand up against my mother and be by your side, Max.” She runs one of her hand up across her hair to brush against the bun, “But the time powers stuff may be harder to convince me without Rachel’s help.”

“ _She_ saved me… _She_ really loved me.” Max’s eyes lower, twisting to lean her sore back against the sink and looking at the rest of the girls, “I could go over to her timeline... But instead, I’m about to go to dinner and forget she ever existed?”

Kate calls out to her, “Max…”

Chloe and Rachel are completely silent as they only have been observing the expression and talk between the other two girls. It feels almost like a strong force is slowly shoving Max’s soul on the brinks of her physical shell of a body to leave a remaining vacuum within her.

The unpleasant feeling fuels Max’s legs, firing them up to dart right past the other girls that are covering the entrance of the restroom and proceed across the house at an alarming pace. Chloe calls out behind her, “Max!” Her legs follow quickly as well as the other girls.

Max races through the house and back out in the yard, “I have to… I have to see her one more time. I hope you guys understand-.” She collapses down to her knees, feeling that phantom sensation is kicking back into her body. The more she thinks about that other Rachel, the more the pain of her body crashing down the stairs unravels back again. Her weakened legs tremble against the pressure, struggling to get back up, then she exhales sharply conceding to fall down onto her hands. “Fuck… that pain kind of comes back randomly.”

Chloe also drops to her knees. Her fingers gently massage her ribcage which was bruised in her previous encounter, “I… know what you mean, Max.” She shifts her attention to the downed girl, “But of course we understand you want to go back and see her. But are you sure? That other timeline is totally different from anything you have seen or lived before.”

Rachel grabs Max from behind, applying strength to keep the hipster from collapsing completely, “So, you want to head over to meet her? Back then where we were best friends?” She cradles the small girl tightly, “Thinking more about it... No, don’t go there… You absolutely hated me. It isn’t going to be pleasant if you’re seeking for resolution for my counterpart.”

Max groans through her teeth with the sharp pain, “No, you were my best friend. I would never leave Chloe behind. So-” Her tongue halts for a moment, recalling she did have to leave Chloe behind at the cliff in the vista of the enormous storm. _‘Fuck me…’_ She crawls across the withered grass for a short distance trying to be more self-sufficient in taking care of herself but not accomplishing it. Her voice strains, “O-Okay... I’m pretty certain that my own counterpart would never leave you behind in that timeline. Maybe you never gave Maxine enough of a chance to come back around?”

Rachel twirls her index finger around, “You could be right. But you have a much better life here with Chloe.” With her other hand, she gently taps the punk, “Instead of getting into bullshit with me, you went to school. You had a real childhood. Sure, you had to move to Seattle which wasn’t something I would ever predict. As well as William’s death...” She glances at Chloe. Both hers and the bluenette’s eyes drop down in unison, “Which was unfortunate.” She continues, “But, Maxine wanted to move on away from me. That… other version of me is going to end up resetting the timeline to save… “ She squeezes her eyes close disdainfully, “...dad.”

Kate kneels down, huddling her hands into her chest, “No, the other Rachel said she was going to keep everything the way it is. And to take a different path than you did.” She states boldly, informing everyone of that Rachel’s intention with her future.

Rachel darts her eyes laterally, “It’s... “ She slumps her shoulders, feeling disappointment for the decision of her alternate part, “I don’t know. It is going to be challenging and gloomy future for her. Especially after…” She sneaks a despondent glance at Max. “...getting a fight with you, Max.” The model that is usually bleeding with an abundance amount of confidence knows that her mindset in the past life was a wreck. She waves her arms, deflecting the tension, “It isn’t your fault, I’m not putting the blame on you. I was a fucking mess back then. I can’t imagine anyone supporting me if I could jump back and forth between timelines like that.”

Max speaks up, “That’s why I want to tell her…” Her voice breaks up into a squeak, choking her throat.

The beautiful blonde lowers her eyes but piquing with curiosity, “What? What do you want to tell her?”

Max clinching her jaws behind her tight lips, nodding more and more as it feels right in her fragile heart. “That I love her. I really do.” Rachel shoots a toothy smile back, her face also beginning to crack against the pouring of the emotions. Max continues, defending her action, “I know what you guys are thinking… ‘What is the point? She isn’t even from this timeline.’ She didn’t have a single damn reason to save me but she did it anyway.” Her blue eyes scan around at the girls, “She saved all of us.”

Rachel’s eyebrows furrow, rolling her eyes as she is still hazy on just about everything that has been happening. She has been demanding to know more but so far everything has been delayed and pushed back. “Erm, I don’t know what to say…” She rings her jay earring then gliding her finger to tug on her right ear, “You’re… a totally different person in that time period. You’re going to feel lost.”

The brunette clenches her fist, feeling a bit irritated that she is being underestimated but there is some truth to it. “I know I’m going to feel lost. But I’ll be able to handle it.” She forces out that lie through her obdurate mouth. “But I just know… Maxine… erm… I loved you…” She scratches her head, “Shit this is getting confusing. But sorry, I have to do this.”

Kate leans in delicately, still having both of her hands resting snugly into her chest, “Max, do what you wish. You’re an amazing person. But please be careful. Tell her that we will be waiting to hear back from her.” She knows the path is treacherous but is confident that Max will be the one that will save the other Rachel. Her hazel eyes scan around the yard, her voice drops in volume, “And tell her that... _I love her_.” Her rigid body rotates back and forth, showing a fluctuating mixture of embarrassment and confidence with her request.

Rachel’s eyes light up, with a smile dangling at the corner of her lips, “ _Love her_ …?” Her hazel eyes scan up and down, checking out every inch on Kate’s face and body.

The angel’s face ignites, “Sorry! Ugh…” She runs her gentle fingers up, tugging out some of her hair.

Rachel rests her chin on both palms with a cheeky smile, “No, it’s cool. I just wished I was there… or erm awake to know what happened.” She balls a fist, playfully brushing Kate’s cheek with her knuckles, “You do seem like a very sweet person.”

Chloe’s eyebrows arch, “She is, Rach.” She gently guides the two blondes to be closer together, “And, you can start to get to know her.”

Kate lets out a stiff giggle, “Chloe…”

 _‘Wow… Chloe isn’t jealous at all of Kate. Or maybe she’s catching on to the big picture.’_ Max grins with a smile, “Of course, I will tell her, Kate.” She scoots closer to the angel, “You have been here with me since the beginning of this fucking ordeal.” She lets out a discomforting sigh, “When my parents died, you were here-...” Her voice suddenly halts as a churning throb drills into her stomach. _‘No, it was just Officer Berry next to me… Kate wasn’t there…’_ She recalls that vision that is starting to feel more real even though it contradicts what she experienced.

“Max, your parents died?!” Rachel erupts in distress.

The tall punk eases up the tension right away, “No, this was in the previous timeline.” She looks at the faltering brunette who is spacing out. “Max?”

Max grinds her teeth, burying her face into her hands, “Kate, you weren’t there with me when my parents died.” A needle seems to thread itself between the folds of her brain and then out of her eye sockets.

Kate questions loudly, “Max? Yes, I was… I was there right next to you. In the police station and even in the… basement.” She leans in close, grabbing her from the side to hug her. Seeing a trickle of ruby slipping between the gaps of Max’s fingers. The church girl exclaims, “You’re bleeding…” Her fingers twiddle, letting the crimson drip through the air, “Shit!”

Chloe joins in, holding the unsettled girl, “Max!” The freckled girl reveals her face, whose skin has a shade of green to the fading sunlight, “Oh my god, you’re so pale.”

A flood of lethargy sweeps across the muscles on Max’s face, “Something’s not right. When Rachel took me far back in the past, I saw the ghost of my mom after she got in the car accident… walking all alone on the road on my twelfth birthday, Chloe.” She casts a glance at the surroundings, wondering if any of this is actually real. “And also my mom… called me to go meet up with Kate.” Her eyes shift toward angel, “Even though she was already dead. Her spirit knew Kate was the only one left that could protect me.”

Chloe eyes at the hopeless girl showing concerns for her health, “Max, stop it. Maybe you shouldn’t use your powers anymore?” She suggests at the weakening state of her best friend.

Max coughs through her hoarse throat, straightening her faded stance, “No, I have to do this.” She wraps her arms around Kate but keeping her distance to avoid the blood from splashing onto Kate’s clothes like before. “I’ll talk to Rachel. Let her know how much we all love and care about her.” She sways her head giving focus to the hair bun girl, “And Kate, I _do_ want to do this.”

Rachel disappears back into the house in a frantic manner, leaving the girls for a moment.

Kate holds tightly despite the gap between them, “It’s your choice. But again, please be safe, okay?”

Max nods her head, releasing her grasp to take a look at the two girls that have been on this adventure with her the longest, “I need to pass the torch to both of you guys. Go save Megan at the theater play tonight.” Her teary eyes lazily scan between them, “Get to her before Jefferson drugs and kidnaps her.”

The sound of the sliding door along with Rachel halting at the doorway, “Wait, what about Megan?” Her slim body wedges through the narrow opening, “Jefferson? Mark Jefferson, the teacher?” She marches quickly with the napkin, getting close to the freckled girl to wipe her bloody nose. “What are you talking about?”

Chloe leans back without even giving direct eye contact. She wraps her arm around the waist of the girl she loves, “Rach, it’s cool.” Already jumping the gun to alleviate the situation even when the blonde isn’t aware of the subject in mind.

Rachel demands with a bold front, but her lips wincing against it, “It’s cool? What is it?”

Chloe’s body cranes away but she still holds onto the blonde girl, as the rest of the girls remain silence and uncertain of who can break the news.

The confused girl’s breaths hitch for a moment, gathering the pieces together just from the dodgy expression from everyone. “You know, Chloe?” Her body draws back slightly, anticipating the explosive outburst that she expects from the hot-headed girl.

Max calls to her softly, “Rachel…” But she couldn’t say anymore than that.

Rachel’s voice quickens, “I had a bad feeling about this. I didn’t remember much after I blacked out when I was hanging out with Audrey. Then, I was supposed to get picked up by…” Her voice chokes out, ashamed of even mentioning his name, “...Did you find out all of this because the other Rachel took over my body?”

“No, we’re from the future, Rachel.” Kate steps in, shaking her head to clarify. “We didn’t do this with any intentions to invade your personal life.”

Feeling pinned down, Rachel scans in desperation among the girls who are thankfully returning with warm and sympathetic expressions.

Chloe breaks the short silence, “I’m not mad at all, Rach…” She bites the inner of her lips. There is no seething rage instead it is regret that gushes over the punk’s face. “I was clinging onto you so much that I scared you away from me because I’m just a total bitch.” 

“No… I-I...” Rachel’s voice cracks wanting to grasp at the tall girl but even her hands become like bricks sinking down against her withering strength. She knows she is responsible for distancing herself from this girl that is always trying to hover around her. There was just too much going on for Rachel that even she needed something to break her out of everything.

Chloe grumbles underneath her breath, “You died, Rachel.” She puffs out another exhale with her eyes welling up with the thought that this person who Chloe thought was inseparable would be kidnapped and murdered underneath her nose. “Mark Jefferson killed you.”

Rachel leans back, inching away as much space as she can get but still pressing against Chloe’s body. She shakes her head with an incredulous stare, “No…”

“We’re not fucking around…” Chloe leans in close to shorten their distance, pulling Rachel’s head in toward her. She whispers softly to her, “I saw the letter you wrote, as well…” Rachel’s body twitches about the secret letter that she didn’t have the guts to share to Chloe.

Having difficulty in believing all of this at once but Rachel is familiar with the unbelievable. And, seeing how genuine the sorrow that is creeping out of this girl who normally has a rather volatile temper. As well as the appearance of her former best friend. Rachel asks, “Tell me, did I put you all through this? Is this how I…” She corrects herself, “...we got _‘saved’_ with time powers?” She releases her hand from Max’s nose, letting the freckled girl apply the pressure to it by herself. “Because I’m a fucking moron and stumbled onto something I shouldn’t have and got killed?” Her voice trails off in a total disbelief.

Chloe shakes her head, gripping tightly on both of her shoulders, “Rachel, it all in the fucking past. We’re beyond that. We all paid our dues for it in the past timelines.” 

Rachel gazes down into the earth beneath her with a distant stare, “H-how did I die?” Her throat quivers with incredulity.

Another brief moment of silence coats the air as the girls look at each other to silently delegate who should be the one to say it. Finally, Kate boldly steps up, “I’m not exactly sure. But I think Nathan drugged and kidnapped you.” She also joins her warm hands onto Rachel’s shoulder for comforting support, “While you were drugged, Jefferson took pictures of you. But…” Her eyebrows lower, “...you died from a drug overdose.”

Max joins in the conversation, “He did it with both me and Kate, as well. We survived but… the blurry and painful memories are still fresh.”

The distress blonde lets out a disgusted sigh, “That… fucking creep.” She bashes her own forehead with her palm, “I wanted to break free from all the bullshit that I was dealing with. And, I thought this could be a way out of my fucked up life. But of course…” She lets out a groan at her own pathetic self, “Fuck me… I put you guys through all of this. I’m so sorry… I knew he was a little strange. But Nathan…” Her face winces to the name of the rich but disturbed Prescott child.

Max’s eyelashes clap together gently, “You knew something? About Jefferson?”

Rachel shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t know. He showed me a few photos of these models that he took. They were asleep and bounded.” A shiver creaks up the aching muscles along her back, “Given his long career in photography he has ventured to more _unconventional_ pictures. He told me these models were fully consensual and pretending in the photos. But they looked pretty legit.” She blinks rapidly, “Maybe I was entranced by him… but I thought the pictures were beautiful and mesmerizing.” Her head drifts between the girls, “I was in love with him but I was still a bit wary about it.”

She takes a half step back but still fully connected with the other girls, “Then again, having a secret relationship with a teacher is already something to be worried about.”

The words send a wave that almost brushes Chloe’s face away but she remains composed, nodding lightly.

Rachel continues, “I just had a weird hunch. I wanted to see if I could find anything at his house to clear my mind about it. But then I blacked out at the arcade.”

Kate throws out an uneasy but acknowledging forced smile, “I see…” She doesn’t want Rachel to continue to shame herself by putting herself on the spot in front of others.

Rachel twirls her arms over her body, “So, he went after me, huh? Fuck, I’m so careless.”

Chloe reels the model close, nuzzling her head against the shorter girl’s shoulder, “You are not stupid. And, you don’t have to explain anymore. We all made fucked up decisions. But we are not here to shame ourselves among each other, okay?” 

The punk was originally worried how she would be once this Rachel that she knew would come back from her slumber. But now Chloe has a goal of bringing everyone together for a better tomorrow. Putting the past behind them to unite for a brighter future. “Look… Rach, you got murdered, okay? But that’s not happening this time. Because I’m fucking here, now.” She beats her fist into her chest, knowing she will be able to protect her with David’s gun. “We’re here… And, we got each other.”

Max is still taken away with her discovery with Rachel’s words, still pondering about it. In amidst the silence, she wants to articulate out her thoughts. Trying to be transparent with everything and speaking to the girls, “Maybe within the next month, Rachel discovered something about Jefferson not too long before she was kidnapped.” She flinches her eyes as it kind of hits her like a freight train. “Or perhaps, maybe that was why Jefferson kidnapped Rachel.” 

Kate asks back, “Jefferson wanted to pick targets who are innocent and pure. Wasn’t that the reason?”

Max balls her fist, empowering herself with confidence for her next words. “Let’s be honest. Rachel isn’t a pure or innocent person. Neither am I, now. Our minds are beyond fucked up with time travel. _You_ …” Max points at Rachel but unable to meet direct eye contact with her, “...must have stumbled across something you shouldn’t have seen. And, Mark Jefferson had to correct it. By… killing you. It wasn’t an accidental drug overdose.” Her eyebrows furrow, “But not before he can have his final photo session with you so he could frame you forever.”

Beads of sweat swell up from the pores of the punk, “Oh god…” Chloe’s eyes lower pointing her index finger at her own nose, “But… Rachel never came to me for any backup if she was suspecting something?” Her eyes redden, looking at Rachel, “Is it because you are too scared to tell me about your connection with Jefferson?”

Rachel keeps her eyes glue downward, remaining quiet. Not wanting to reply to Chloe’s question, but the answer is very clear.

Max steps in to break the silence, “I don’t know, Chloe. This is pure speculation. It could have all happened too quick, even for a time traveler.” She looks back at Rachel, “But one of the pictures that Mark took of you in the Dark Room, you were conscious and furious.” She waves her fingertips brushing her own hair, “Just like a picture Mark took of me.” She recalls the final photo that Mark took of her, right before he attempted to inject the fatal dosage. “For my situation, I wasn’t kidnapped with the same intention like Kate or Megan. It is because I also stumbled into Jefferson’s secret.”

The hollow in Rachel’s stomach continues to grow almost wanting to engulf her from the inside, “Megan…”

Max nods with a distant gaze at the perimeter of the yard, “I didn’t know who she was until I went to this timeline. She is going to a theater play tonight. And, Nathan is looking out for her.” She directs her stare back at Rachel, “He’s working with Jefferson and also providing the drugs.”

Rachel doesn’t look super phased by it. “He’s been working closely with Jefferson to improve on his photography skills. And fuck, Megan has been bugging me to go and I keep ignoring her.” She sighs full of frustration, “Nathan gets his usual fun drugs from…” Her body gyrates to the mentioning of this person’s name, “...Frank. So Nathan is also getting something extra to drug the girls from...” She doesn’t even wait for a reply as the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. “...Frank?”

Chloe turns her body around, “Rach, come here…” She wraps her full arms around the poor girl.

“And, you know about that too?…” Rachel’s voice is choked up, “I’m such a fucking whore.”

Chloe slides a hand up to rest against the back of the model’s head, “Rach, you have been going through such a shit time and you’re doing it all by yourself. Fuck it, I wouldn’t give a shit about anything either if I were you.” She slides her head pressing her cheek against hers, “Frank is a good guy, too. He saved and bailed us several times. I can see why you totally crushed with him.”

“Chloe…” Rachel’s face warms up, passing the heat to the girl, “I don’t think I deserve any of your sympathies.”

“Maybe not…” Chloe’s eyebrows pinch together in a sly manner, “But I’m going to give it to you anyway because I love you.” She leans in giving a quick peck on Rachel’s nose.

This incites a much-needed relief in the brooding tension that has been piling onto Rachel. “Thank you, Chloe. I love you, too.”

Chloe rolls her eyes uneasily, circling back to Rachel, “So… you know Megan pretty well?” The punk steals a glance sensing a sudden uneasiness from both Kate and Rachel. She doesn’t leave any opportunities for her to answer back, casting a reassuring nod, “We’re gonna save her tonight. Don’t you worry at all.”

Kate shrugs out the blanket of anxiety that wraps around her, “Yes, we will!”

Rachel presses her lips tightly with a reaffirming smile. “So… what happened to you, Max?”

Max sniffs her nose, rattling the sliver of tissue in her nose, “Mark, would have killed me if it weren’t for David.” She looks at Chloe, proud to announce that the step-douche that is hated by both of the older girls is the sole savior for Max. “He saved me. Mark wasn’t going to let me leave that room alive. Jefferson just used Nathan and blamed everything on him. But Mark didn’t have any trouble killing Chloe, Victoria, David, Nathan, Me…” She casts a nervous glance at Rachel, “Or you, Rachel.”

The blonde time traveler shakes her head, “Victoria too? She is so infatuated with Jefferson, as well. She got very envious and hated my guts.” She blows out a chuckle in disdain, “Like I needed more drama in my life. I don’t know why I do the things I do...” 

Max brushes her nose with the back of her hand, “I made a lot of mistakes and also nosy, too. In fact, our snooping with the whole kidnappings got Chloe killed. And I almost died as well.”

Chloe waves her hand nonchalantly, “Yes, we’re humans and make decisions that we will regret. Everything in hindsight will always be 20/20 vision.”

Max agrees with her taller best friend, “Don’t worry… Like what Chloe said, you went through so much, Rachel.” She takes a quick peek at the time anomaly then back, “I’m so sorry for not being there for you in your past life. I was your best friend yet I’m a big enough bitch to force you to make such radical changes to your life.”

Rachel gazes deeply at the person she loved, stammering in what to even say, “Max… Maxine… it isn’t your fault.”

Max leaves the sliver of tissue in her nose, extending out her arms to wrap around the girls, “As long we are all together now...” Her voice trails away, “Except now I’m leaving you guys to save Rachel in another timeline.”

Kate wrinkles her nose, “Maybe both you and Rachel are meant to be heroes across all the timelines.”

Max scoffs, looking at herself with a lack of any confidence. “I don’t know.”

Chloe tightens her wide hug around all the girls, “This is probably the first timeline out of hundreds that we are all together, right?” Her face scans around the tight huddle, “Don’t worry, we got this. And, you’re a beast, Max!”

Max looks at each and every girl realizing how much she went through with each one. And what an adventure they all have been through even with this newcomer Rachel. The hipster speaks up, “Shit, now I’m seriously doubting if I can even let go of you guys right now. I’m going to miss you all. I’m not even sure what will happen to this timeline when I’m gone. Jefferson is still out there and I’m fucking worried. And, I’m afraid that using my powers to travel through the timeline will create another tornado.”

Chloe smirks with her usual cheeky nature, “We got nothing to worry about. We got this on fucking lockdown!” She leans back to break the huddle and slams her fist down at the grass, rousing the stiff air, “Hey Kate. Are you scared of a stupid tornado?”

Feeling rallied from the punk, Kate shakes her head casually, “Nope. I’m not scared of a stupid tornado.” She drops her hands to her hips, “The minute there are some undocumented eclipse or wacky weather...” She snaps her fingers, recalling the doomsday signs that Max told her leading up to the main storm. “...We will alert the town and drive inland.”

The punk snorts, “Jeah… We will _sound the alarm!_ Everyone will jet out of this hick town before the whirlwind comes. Easy breezy. Are you scared of Mark Jefferson?”

“Nope…” Kate presses her lips firmly, fearless with absolutely anything that will be coming in her way, “...he is just some stupid photographer that can’t make it big anymore. He has to rely on deceiving his disciples to serve his needs. He is actually a total wimp.”

“Fuck yeah.” Chloe throws her fist in the air. Rachel looks on with a lack of emotion, still uncertain on how to feel with all of this that is passing through her mind. The punk continues, “We’ll pass him around in a circle to take turns kicking his balls through his tight hipster jeans.”

“Darn right!” Kate follows and launches her fist to match the punk, “Chloe, are you scared of the Dark Room?”

“Naw…” Chloe ponders, pressing her knuckles into her chin, “...why the fuck with all the glorification of this _Dark Room_ , anyway? Is that where he jacks off all day to pixelated porn with basement internet?” She shudders, “Oof… Makes you think twice to ever touch his camera equipment. Think what his hand was touching right before.” Her tall body cringes.

Kate opens her bag, revealing a travel-sized soap dangling from one of the notches, “We better sanitize our hands after we go in there.” 

Chloe shrugs her shoulders, blinking slowly, “I don’t know if that is enough. Maybe he found it is a new hipster thing is watch porn underground to be _underground_. I think he is trying to make a statement to us.”

She peeks into her bag noticing some of the brochures, “If that is the case, then maybe I can have him promote my sexual abstinence club-” Kate can no longer keep a straight face with her nonsensical talk, finally burying her shameful and glowing face into her hands.

Chloe leans to the side of the church girl, giving a tight one-arm hug, “I _fucking_ love this, girl!” Kate giggles, blooming with love and embarrassment. Chloe shouts at the other two time travelers that appear to be the normal sane ones this time around, “Kate, is _my_ girl, you got it? Not one of you guys allowed to touch a single strand on her hair bun without my permission!” The bold girl teases, giving quick peck at Kate’s hair.

Rachel and Max look at the two girls with a speechless grin. The freckled girl curbs the urge to cover her own glowing face from observing such silly act, “You guys are so dumb…” She mumbles but her face radiates with joy, “But I love it!”

Kate throws two thumbs up, looking at all the girls, “Yes!”

Max’s eyes get tossed around at all the angels that surround her, filling in with a lukewarm feeling. Seeing how all the girls are truly united with trust with each other. Her gaze stops at her own childhood best friend. While her eyes are cheery, it still mirrors identically with the scene back at the cliffside that overlooked the ravaging storm. _‘This is so tough. I… don’t want to do this…’_ That familiar fluttering of her stomach returns back, finding it is so difficult to let go. 

She runs her arms wrapping around the punk, “Chloe, I… don’t know how many fucking times I’ve said ‘goodbye’ to you.” She digs her fingers onto the tank top of the person she loves dearly, “It fucking hurts so much. But... hopefully this time I’ll be back.”

Chloe smears her cheek against the sobbing girl, “Maximo, I understand. I believe in you. Go save Rachel for us.” She gently holds Max back but their faces are still just inches away from each other, anchoring their azure eyes at each other. “We all love you... _I_ love you.”

Those warm words strike a content exhale from Max. _‘Chloe, I love you no matter what timeline we are in…’_

She hones in, closing her eyes. Ever so slowly, she presses her lips against Chloe’s. They hold there for a moment, relishing the feel of their warm breaths mixing together. There just never seem to have any time to be normal teenagers.

Chloe giggles sharply underneath her muffled breaths to shatter the intimate moment. Max’s eyes widen, her face flushed and body squirming slightly, “What? Why are you laughing?”

The bluenette licks her lips, letting out a cheery sigh, “You’re tickling me. Take this out for a second…” The punk removes the sliver of napkin that was tucked in the dork’s nose.

“Oh! Sorry!” Max lets out a humiliating chuckle. 

“Not a prob...” Chloe makes sure there isn’t any more blood dripping then she leans in to resume their kiss. She prods her warm tongue against hers, meeting and twirling around inside their joined mouth in this tender moment between them. Their hands naturally gravitate to each other, securing and locking with each other.

Rachel blinks slowly, peering emptily at the two girls that are inseparable. Her lips are pressed thin with a face of uncertainty. Again, full of doubt on everything including how she should be feeling with all of this. She dodges to the side to secure herself away from the view, tucking her arms to her sides. This catches the eyes of Kate who has been silently observing all of this.

Max slowly releases the kiss, opening their steady eyes who are still twinkling with affection. She smiles softly, reaching out with her hands for the next girl, Kate. The time traveler chuckles, also captivated with this angel. She points at her own chest, “I’m going to be like the other Rachel who kissed all of you guys. You better be okay with that! I don’t need your stinky permission to kiss your _girl_ , Chloe.”

Chloe licks her lips, relishing the taste on it. Her body is still shuddering from the kiss, “Alright, Max. You can have your moment with Kate. But only this time!”

“Ooh-ooh!” Kate closes her eyes, puckering her lips in an adorable fashion.

“Aww…” Max hums in joy. She dips in, giving Kate a quick kiss on the lips but still maintaining close to each other. The hair bun girl’s eyebrows arch rapidly in a cute manner, beaming back. Max continues with a delightful tone, “You have become much bolder yet even more selfless and sweeter than before. You have been so helpful to all of us.”

Kate sneaks her hand to slide up and down along the exposed back of Max, “We all have grown a lot from all of this.”

Max nods silently, agreeing to the church girl’s statement. She darts her eyes across the girls, “I have no fucking idea how this is going to work. I don’t know when I’ll be back to this timeline. I could have been making this dramatic speech for no fucking reason. I could be back in a single second.” She lets out a sigh, “Or an hour, or a day, or a year, or a decade...“ A long exhale shapes to the slumping of her shoulders, “...Or perhaps… never...” Her last words diminish to a dreadful tone, not knowing what may happen once she departs from this timeline. 

She may never come back. And, even if she can come back, she does know how much time may have elapsed over here as well as the fate of these girls, including her own body.

Chloe teases by pinching Max’s nose, trying to deflect the brief sorrow in the scent of the air. “You better fucking come back, Caulfield. Or, I’ll learn some time powers myself to hop over to kick your ass. You went through a lot to save and help all of us.” The punk pushes a genuine smile, “And thank Rachel for us when you see her. We will be waiting for both of you guys.”

Max stands back up on her feet, brushing off any blades of grass that are clinging to the smooth material of her dress. This prompts Chloe to give a swift invigorating slap to Max’s butt. The brunette flinches from the sharp pain but her voice remains rather calm and unaffected to the playfulness from the punk, “Could I get one last picture with all of you guys?”

“Sure!” Kate replies cheerfully. She casts a curious look up and down the fatigued time traveler, “Let me go grab it for you.” She hurries to grab Max’s bag that is dropped by the doorway to the yard, pulling out the Polaroid camera.

Without any verbal guidance needed, the girls are huddled close together for the photo. Max takes the camera and holds it high above to the furthest her fingers can reach. She steadies it there for a moment but the camera slowly becomes heavier. Her arm wavers slightly as her vision starts to become cloudy.

A soft sniff in the noiseless air draws the other girls to the attention of the whimpering photographer. Quickly, they all curl up even closer so each of the girls provides their own comforting touch to support the crying girl in need.

“Here... let me help you.” Kate gently takes the camera from the weakened girl’s hand. Max doesn’t display any stubbornness and gladly hands it to the church girl. Holding the camera up high, with the girls readying themselves for the photo, “Three...two… one…” Kate snaps the camera with the blank photo slowly revving out of it.

“Gosh… this is so hard.” Max buries her face in her hands, “You guys better be safe!” All the girls straighten up from their picture pose.

Chloe wraps one arm around Max and the other at Rachel. She tips her nose for Kate to sit right beside her as well, “This is the dream team here. Not one, or two… or even three. But all four of us. Tornado, Jefferson or any other fucking bad shit isn’t going to front with us.” She leans in with both of her arms, trying to rally some motivation among the disheartened time travelers, “Any other timelines that don’t have all four of us united needs to get on our level fast.”

“Chloe…” Max chuckles forcefully, feigning some joy but still gazing at the floor.

Kate holds the slowly developed photo in her hand with the camera resting on her lap, “I’ll hold onto this.”

“Thanks.” The brunette leaves her trusty camera to Kate. _‘I have to get going. I won’t even be here long enough to see how this picture will turn out. Just like the future of this timeline…’_

Rachel forces a lackluster smile, “Max, please take care.” She nods solemnly, “It is fucking different there. Be extra careful who you trust. I felt Maxine hid a side of her from me and even this day I still never knew. Or, it could be my paranoia.”

Max nods softly, “Alrighty, I got it. Thanks, Rachel. I just feel bad that I promised that I would be with you.”

Rachel smiles, hugging her own body, “Well, you’re going to be with another _me_. Of course, I rather you be with me.” She shrugs with a confident smile, “But I think my counterpart needs you and more deserving of you at this very moment.” She winks her eyes, “Again, please take care. Nothing is quite what it seems over there.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Max nods as a flush creeps into the bones in her knees, slowly lifting them to inch closer to the beautiful blonde.

“Don’t… kiss me.” Rachel holds her index finger up, “Or, you’re going to make me go crazy.” She sniffs her nose as her emotions are gushing up to her eyes.

“Oooh… That’s right Max, you forgot to kiss Rachel.” Chloe’s lips pucker outward, “Max, go quickly kiss her and then make a run for it!”

A devious chuckle erupts out of Max’s lips as she listens to the advice, propelling her body toward the model. She gives a quick peck on the cheek as her head turns sharply away like she is about to proceed for an escape. Instead, Max stays rooted with a contagious grin that sweeps across the width of her face.

Rachel slowly circles the girl with caution as her heartbeat pumps furiously through her veins. Sensing her, Max follows her then surprising her with another kiss but this time on the lips.

The blonde’s eyes shoot open for a moment but then relaxes to a dull state a very short moment later as she embraces the warmth that is slowly imbuing into the void within her body. Infusing with intensity, she shifts her body and face slightly to get more control of the kiss, chewing on Max’s lips.

A moan sails off between the geek’s lips as her eyes drift upward. Unable to feel much of her body but stiffening her spine to gasp for air. She tugs on the plaid jacket of Rachel to reel her close to nuzzle against her cheek.

Rachel’s head sails up with a sigh that caresses into Max’s ear, “You’re sneaky…”

Chloe mutters to draw an abrupt attention to the two intimate girls, “Kate, could you cover my eyes? I can’t handle this. This is more explicit than the porn I watch.” Her blue eyes widen at the sight of the blooming love of her two best friends going at it.

Kate leans close to the side of the tall girl, hovering both her hands to shroud the punk’s eyes. “Go cover mines, too!”

Chloe lifts her hand also shielding the conservative girl’s eyes, triggering a muffled snickering between the both of them.

 _‘Bunch of jerks!!!_ _But boy, Kate and Chloe are so adorable together! As bullshit time travel can be, friendship accelerates so quickly with this.’_ Max rubs her nose, “You guys are dorks…” She releases her heated grasp from Rachel, letting a joined chuckle between the time travelers. Max’s lips quickly subside to a neutral expression. She turns around, looking at the time vortex then her body slowly turn to it.

_‘What if I never come back to this timeline? Am I throwing everything away? Would all of this mean nothing? All the things that Rachel did for me…’_

She turns back to look at the trio girls who have contagious smiles on their face but Max can sense there is a slight void right beneath them. They all wish the best for Max on her journey, but deep down they also want her to stay and remain safe in this timeline.

“Get em, Mad Max…” Chloe throws one last thumb up. It is the only thing she can do without instilling any more guilt into the brunette to triple-guess her decision to leap across the timelines.

_‘Chloe… Kate… Rachel… I have to leave these people in this timeline with Jefferson and Nathan still on the loose. And who fucking knows if a tornado may come. But seeing how determined they are, I do feel better. Or at least as good as I’ll ever be in this situation.’_

Her body is feeling more and more numb with the phantom paralyzation as she slowly lugs her way toward the field still thinking to herself.

 _‘Who knows how I truly am in the other timeline? Maybe Rachel really does hate me to a point where there is no redemption. Or maybe… maybe she is already dead.’_ She gulps her throat. _‘No, she is alive and she will be happy to see me… Right? It is what she wants… It is what I want…? I’ll be leaving the Dream Team. But maybe I’m was not meant to be in it… some other Max will take my place in my absence.’_

She enters the sphere through the monochromatic dazzling of light. Rachel is still in a slumber with tears that are still coating her face. Max inches her body closer, before relaxing all of her muscles to collapse to her knees with a hitch right next to the ghostly body.

She pushes herself up, turning around one last time to see the three lonesome silhouettes of the girls that have been with her in this adventure, “I love you guys...” She whispers to them.

Max turns back to the body, tilting in close trying to breathe her scent. But nothing but the cramped aroma of the anomaly. 

“Rachel, I’m here for you…” She whispers dearly to the body. The groaning amount of fatigue burdens her, forcing her to sit down right beside her. “I’m going to lie right next to you if that’s okay?” She asks politely, slowly shifting her aching body to lie flat on her back right by the slightly flickering body of Rachel.

A comforting sigh rolls out of her mouth, pinching her shoulder blades together as she gazes up at the ceiling with the ribbons of light from the two faint moons.

“I kind of… like this.” She sneaks a peek at the catatonic girl, “I usually like to get away from everyone and just let my mind set free.” The shifting of the shades shimmer in display over her. “For a clumsy person like me, the world can be too quick for me.” She snorts, “...even if I’m a time traveler.” She extends her arms up, stretching her fingertips as far as she can. “I love this. It is like my own personal shell to hide from all the worlds that are out there.”

She chuckles, lowering her arms back to the earth, wiggling her body closer to Rachel. “Here I am, talking to just both you and me… All alone together. In a space that is outside of all the timelines.”

She sniffs her nose in the damp void, shooting another quick glance at the motionless body, “I’m scared, Rachel. I’m actually very scared. I’m a fucking coward. I thought I was home free… I thought this nightmare was going to end…” She shifts her body, finally rolling to face Rachel, who seems like she is trapped in an endless nightmare.

Examining at the troubled expression of Rachel mirrors how Max feels internally, “Something still doesn’t feel right. I don’t know where I belong.” Her eyes trace along the blades of the frozen grass on the ground. She chuckles at herself, “Though, I guess I always felt that way in my life.” She flops her body over to look at the silhouette of the tall girl, “When I left Chloe to go to Seattle, I tried my best to move on.” Her head dips down in shame, “And I kinda did. But a part of me was always disappointed in myself. I was a loner and I got bullied as well. Here I am… wearing my prom dress that I was supposed to get bullied in.”

She glances down at her body with her graceful dress, which looks misplaced amidst the looming atmosphere that is consuming her, “I guess you saved me from that in this timeline. But the memories don’t go away. They never will.”

She grips her right hand, slowly feeling a twisting sensation that is waiting to explode out of it. “Rachel…” She propels her body upward to a sitting position, “If I don’t ever see you again, I just want you to know that I love you.” She presses her left hand across her chest, “I really do. Kate, Chloe and even Rachel as well! Thank you for… making me smile again.” Her eyes dance around the cadaverous hemisphere, “Seeing my parents, Chloe, Kate, and both you and Rachel. It really makes me feel like I’m actually something in this life.” 

Her hand combs against her dress, feeling the growing void that trickles out of her heart, “With me being _something_ … That doesn’t ever happen in my life. Sorry, if I sound a bit self-loathing but that’s always been the case.” She stiffens her spine, “Thank you, Rachel. It is truly a dream that has come true.”

She tilts her skull, gazing at the monotone constellations above her, “...But all dreams will have to come to an end sooner or later.” She drops her head to give one last look at Rachel, “Let’s find our way home…okay, Rachel? Wherever that is. I still appreciate the journey, I have been on. Thank you.” She nods slightly, forcing out a grin, “I know you have been walking a lonely path and reaching to the end to find all the doors are closed on you.” She steadies her face at her best friend, “But I’m here to open the door for you. Okay, Rachel? Maximus will always be here for you.”

She holds out her hands together giving one last peaceful silent prayer. Max has never been religious but this time she wishes for her fate to be guided in this new unknown journey. 

Releasing her hands, her right hand lights up with a blue sparkling light like before. 

Her pupils dilate to the intensity. _‘Goodbye, you guys. Take care of the house while I'm gone. It is time for me to go save the princess in that numb kingdom. ‘Saving Rachel Amber’… man I should write a story with that title when I get back.’_ A lackluster chuckle squeezes up her body. _‘There is no turning back, Mad Max.’_

Her hands erupt with an amazement of azure glimmer, in contrast of Rachel’s crimson flames. She holds it longer, viewing the powers that fork from her fingertips until the scene glows white.

#### Maxine Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Pineview Apartments Parking Lot

#### September 23th, 2016 8:49 PM

The everlasting relentless glow blights Max’s eyes. They are so numb to the point that she is not even sure if they’re even opened or not. Her body trembles against the intensity but remains addicted to it. The rumbling that rings through her ears slowly subsides. Her vision is coated with blurriness with her skin feeling like it would be on fire if it wasn’t for it being peppered with her own gleaming sweat. 

Slowly, her sluggish eyes focus on the person that is immediately in front of her. A stretch of skin that has a lone but pronounced gleaming trail lying on it. She attempts to collect her bearings, gasping at her rugged breaths as a sliver of saliva drips out of her own lips to join that trail on the damp skin.

The sudden moist sensation weaves up and down across her own neck that freezes Max’s tongue in her mouth and sending her to tilt her head backward with her eyes being pulled back.

A moan slips instinctively from her lips but her cry is muffled compared to the shrill continuous moaning that is singing right beside her right ear.

“I’m almost-...” The interrupted voice is familiar but it is coated with exhaustion and warmth.

Max’s pupils dilate, focusing on what appears to be a blurry ceiling that hangs dangerously close above her head. She isn’t in the hemisphere anomaly, but the seething heat does deprive the oxygen in this area.

She forces her head forward against the unrelenting caresses against her neck, seeing the long gorgeous blonde hair that drapes against her nose. The girl’s eyes are half lidded, her face bobbing slightly in rhythm to her quivering lips. The girl lets out a warm whimper with a slight hint of frustration, “Don’t stop...”

Max pushes hard against the heat from her sweaty body and gulping through her breath, “Rachel?”

The girl tips her face forward but it still hazy in Max’s vision. “Where?” The warm and familiar voice is filled with an alarming amount of distinguishable familiarity. The person slides her hand down out of Max’s shirt, allowing the cool air to vent against the sweaty skin. “Is she here?” The weight beneath Max shuffles for a moment.

Max leans back with a puzzling look. It does take a few moments for the brunette to register the features on the girl’s sweaty face. The lighting is dim through the nearby window that is shrouded with a coat of haze but her sapphire eyes reflect right back at Max. The girl calls out to her with concern, “Maxine, are you okay? Bib, did you hear Rachel?”

Max blinks owlishly at her, as the face starting to sharpen with clarity looking to be her best friend but with long flowing strawberry blonde hair. “Chloe?”

The blonde bites her lips who has been puffing nonstop with sharp bursts of seething air. She regains some of her composure just to reflect back with her own confusion. Her eyebrows arch, “Uh… yeah…? What’s up?”

  


#### Amazing art from my good friend, Harpuia!

[Source](https://harpu89.deviantart.com/art/Lost-The-Twin-Moons-694978844)  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thank you for keeping up with this story. This chapter was hella hella long. Even though a good chunk of it was already written, I wanted to refine it some more. There are some parts in hindsight that feel a little bloated or slow, but screw it… my brain is done with this chapter! I could nitpick more but may delay it for more weeks. :P
> 
> Overall, I’m happy with the chapter. It is long. One of them being the introduction of Prime Rachel and she had to have some spotlight. I wanted to show her character in this universe but keeping a balance of keeping her mysterious but at same time… actually putting some headcanon/details that surrounds her in the most natural way fitting in this story.
> 
> The prequel is coming out soon, as you can see I made a reference to it with our beloved AmberPrice couple. I’m actually excited for it. It sounds like a sheep thing to say but I’m happy with anything “Life is Strange” written on it. Of course I’m cautious and skeptical just like anyone else. Also, I’m interested in Rachel and Chloe. :) I’m already a person that thinks “out of the box” in this universe (and it’s why this story don’t get as much readers lol), so I’m excited to return back and see what they throw at us.
> 
> Going back to the story, the second point I wanted to get across is the ‘goodbye’ to this timeline with our beloved Kate, Chloe and the newly met Rachel. It is supposed to mirror a little bit of the cliff scene in Episode 5. In a pure canonical sense for the ending decision in the game is pretty clear. But at the end of this chapter, Max isn’t quite sure what is going to happen. Uncertain of what is going to happen in the timeline she is leaving from, if it gets destroyed, the fate of the girls, if doomsday events do show up, etc.
> 
> Of course, this scene also shows Rachel finding out about her death as well as Jefferson. I kind of threw some speculations that Rachel wasn’t kidnapped exactly the same way as the other Dark Room victims. This is clearly just headcanon but I did kind of wonder why she just ended up differently from the other girls. Her fate actually mirrors close to Max. Both her and Chloe stumbled across the Dark Room, and Jefferson caught them with the surveillance cameras. I’m not sure why Max and Chloe didn’t go to the police after finding Rachel’s body. Yeah, yeah, the town is corrupted by Prescotts and so on. And going to authorities or other adults isn’t cool. I don’t think killing Nathan in cold-blooded with be any better result. ‘Congrats, Chloe, you earned yourself prison time for first degree murder of an important person in a corrupted town for revenge that you will probably not going to have any anymore proof.’
> 
> Assuming the Dark Room operation continue to go as planned, was Max going to be an actual victim for Jefferson/Nathan? Perhaps eventually. Chloe was shot, maybe because she had a gun but Max was “spared”. I think with the drugs, Jefferson can make any girl look “innocent”. But that why I thought about Rachel stumbling across something that she shouldn’t have saw and Jefferson had to correct it with Nathan caught in the middle of this.
> 
> So, now Max is off to a new territory leaving Kate, Chloe and Rachel. This is actually tough for me because I really like those characters, especially Kate. :( But I guess it is the theme of the story that Max’s actions will have consequences. And the story follows her and Rachel’s adventures.
> 
> Anyway, again thank you very much keeping up with the story. I know I got many comments about how crazy the story goes but I try to keep it within reasonable as possible. It is a long journey for Max. So will have to see what happens next. :D
> 
> I have no timeline on when next chapter will be released. But cheers, the prequel is coming around in a month! :) Leave a comment if you have anything to say or what headcanons you have with all of those.
> 
> Shoutouts to LonesomeBard and Harpuia! I made a reference to them with the “Saving Rachel Amber” and “Whirlwind” fic. Check them out! And of course BigBear2nd who made the new cover art. Thank you guys!
> 
> 9/5 Update: Hey guys! I went on vacation and came back to BTS. And I'm feeling the Post BTS Depression! Not going to lie, it is making writing a bit more difficult with the feelz. I've been working on it a lot regardless but I'm going to take my time on it with a steady pace. Sorry for the delay!


	33. Somnus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some VERY heavy themes, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Kate Marsh

#### Arcadia Bay: Boardwalk

#### March 21th, 2013 8:42 PM

A wide expanse of the dark ocean laps against the shore in the distance. With the night settling in, the rustic boardwalk basking in the warmth from the series of luminous rope lights that zig-zags overhead. Even for a late weeknight, it is crowded with people that are swarming on the main pathway. Some are venturing between the individual stores that range from smoking hot funnel cakes to antique accessories and trinkets. A crooked row of surfboards that are still left in the chilling night. The flock of seagulls caws out from the abyss above.

Live music from an acoustic guitarist that is performing in the corner of the parking lot that is adjacent to the main boardwalk. With a straw hat flipped upside down, demanding for tips but so far he hasn’t gotten anything more than some spare coins and a stick of bubble gum from the passersby.

Chloe’s truck is parked in this same lot with Kate sitting all by herself up on the side of the truck bed. Her shoulders are slumped and her hair bun whips against the heavy winds. In her lap lies her trusty drawing pad. Armed in her hand is a sketching pencil to doodle small various scenes that she is casually observing from her vantage point. Most of them are of the girls that she has been sharing this evening with.

Max and Chloe are far in the distance from the main pathway with their bodies barely illuminated from the reflected light of the main area. Both of them are sitting on a beach towel by themselves as most people have already evacuated from the freezing sandy beach. The photographer is still in her prom attire without any care of it getting ruined as well as a light black jacket covering up her shoulders. Her body is hunched forward with her head draped forward. Chloe looks on with silent concern, rubbing her hand at the back of her deeply troubled best friend.

 _‘I hope Max feels better. She just had her second mental breakdown since she took back control of her body at Chloe’s.’_ Kate squints her eyes out in the vast pitch-black ocean. _‘She freaked out, thinking she must have accidentally used her powers to get back to this time to save both Chloe and Rachel.’_ The roaring winds combined with the bright contrasting light against the darkness seems like it could easily disguise the presence of a terrifying behemoth tornado out in the sea. _‘So, Max keeps thinking a tornado will be coming even though we explained that a different Rachel used her powers to help us. There’s no way a tornado is coming… right?’_

Kate looks down at her sketch pad, examining her doodle that she made of both Max and Chloe sitting together at the beach. _‘That Max… actually knows about the Dark Room, Rachel’s death, and Chloe’s funeral. The last thing she remembered is crying herself to sleep in her dorm about Chloe’s death, right after her mother sent her a text that they were driving down from Seattle to visit.’_

Her eyes scan across the parking lot with the scattered amount of vehicles. Some of them with people packing up their coolers and towels but to linger around the lot a bit longer. _‘Just like in the previous timeline, when Max came to my dorm room in the morning only to find out her parents were already dead.’_

The church girl sweeps over her shoulder looking at the other two girls, Megan and Rachel. Earlier, they stopped by in the downtown area to pick Megan up to pull her away from the theatre play tonight to prevent Nathan and Jefferson from getting to her. 

Rachel had to lure the pigtailed blonde with her charm. That wasn’t much of an issue given the short intimate history that they shared with each other. Perhaps, maybe it went _too_ well. 

But trying to keep Max tight-lipped and not melting into complete insanity was and still a constant challenge. Thankfully with Rachel’s distraction, Megan hasn’t pried too much about the poor photographer’s condition.

Off to the other side of the boardwalk, both blondes are sharing a churro with each other, getting down to the final bite. Without even being close enough to hear them, Kate can tell they are bickering with each other to offer the other person the last remaining piece.

Megan is full of glowing playfulness, giving a nudge to Rachel that doesn’t seem to be able to keep up with the craziness. Finally, Rachel shoves the last piece into the other blonde’s mouth but not without Megan pressing her lips tightly to suck on the model’s fingers. Judging from the wide and focused eyes behind the glasses of Megan, she is clearly trying to seduce and entice.

This draws a humiliating grimace from Rachel as she yanks her fingers out from the larger girl’s mouth. Megan beams a smile, licking the remaining sugar and Rachel’s taste from her lips. She smacks her lips together, to exhibit how content she is feeling in this very moment.

The pigtailed girl darts to the side making sure no one is paying attention to them despite the crowded street. No, she doesn’t even care anyway. She steps in close, pulling Rachel’s wrist with the moistened fingers. With a wink behind her glasses and tugging tightly on the side of her own collar till her lacy pink bra strap pop out, she dries Rachel’s wet fingers onto her strap. She steps in closer whispering something into Rachel’s dumbfounded face, that triggers a gulp even from the popular girl. 

Megan releases their grip, winking and then walking seductively into the restroom but not without giving one last look behind to ensure Rachel is checking her out some more before Megan disappears into the restroom hallway.

Instead, Rachel’s body is stiff, looking down and feeling humiliated. She puffs out a sigh that launches her hair up and settling back down over her blooming face. Rolling her eyes with a grumpy look, she stomps her way to meet up with the lonely girl while fanning her violated fingers in disgust.

“Kate… Beverly… Marsh…” Rachel announces the full name boldly, skipping around the truck to approach the artistic girl. “Did you see _that_?” She sneaks another peek at the restroom to ensure that crazy girl isn’t going to have an impulsive urge to pounce Rachel from behind. “Ridiculous…”

Kate rests her hand on the sketch pad to shield it from launching into the air from the wild winds, “She likes you.”

Rachel presses her knuckles into her chin, leaning forward to speak barely louder than a whisper, “She is even more kinky than she normally is. Did she do something with me when I was… _out_?” Wondering if there was something _more_ happened between them earlier.

Kate continues to casually draw on her sketch pad but more like idly reiterating the sketch lines of her existing doodles. “You two made out.”

“Oh gosh… I thought so...” Rachel sways her head in a dizzied fashion then falling forward against the truck bed with her head right next to Kate’s lap. “When both Megan and I were sitting out in the truck bed together on the ride over here, she was showing me some lesbian porn on her phone.” Her body slithers down a few inches, “She said I requested it earlier. And, I think she was trying to turn me on with it.”

Kate tips her nose over the despondent looking girl, “Do you like her?”

Rachel lifts her head looking at the sweet girl that is still a stranger to her, “Uh… She’s a sweet girl but not any more than a friend to be honest. We connected because we were both going through a shitty time. And things _happened._ ” Her eyes roll away, “I can’t believe Nathan and Jefferson were going to snag her tonight. Even though she’s been flirting with me and being obnoxious since we picked her up, I…” She puffs out a relaxing exhale, “...I’m very glad she’s going to be fine.”

Kate squeezes her eyes for a moment, letting out a soft sigh. _‘One small victory today, at least.’_

Rachel space out at the drawings on Kate’s drawing pad. She, then asks the boiling question, “Kate… so there was something going on between _us_ , huh? Or rather, the other Rachel and you?” She simpers, not trying to incite any discomfort between them.

Kate hangs her head down, continuing to sketch and focusing more on the doodle she did of Rachel and Megan eating a churro together. The song from the acoustic guitar and the chattering from the boardwalk zone out her mind, still feeling the irregular tension. “I don’t even know.” 

The hair bun girl doesn’t answer the question directly but Rachel can sense the loss of hope prompting her to cast a gentle nudge to the church girl’s thigh to invoke some encouragement, “Kate, I’m just trying to cheer you up. You seem like a sweet person and I can see that you’re a bit down. You don’t have time powers but you traveled through time. So, I totally get it.”

Kate pouts her lips, looking at Rachel and then at the two Arcadia Bay pirates in the distance, “There are just so many things going on. It’s been almost two hours since _Max_ left this timeline to go save Rachel.” Her eyes spiral in confusion thinking about how time could operate in relative to the two timelines. Uncertain, if they elapse at the same rate or varies through other factors. “And, now the Max that took back control is getting _very_ sick.”

_‘None of us were expecting this would happen. Is this a bad sign? Did something happened in the other timeline? Are they… ever coming back?’_

Rachel glances at her former best friend then leaning even closer to Kate, “Yeah, you saw how spooked she became when she saw me? Like she saw a ghost… well, I guess that is sorta true.” The hazel eyes glint, “So, she knows about time powers, this super tornado that she caused, both Chloe’s and my death, as well as…” Rachel whispers even more softly, “...the deaths of her parents?”

Kate corrects her, “She does not know that her parents died but the last thing she remembered was they were on their way to visit Max as well as Chloe’s grave. And, everything after is a bit fuzzy.” She closes her sketch pad, resting her elbows on it and looking off into the sea. “Judging from where her memories got cut off, it is almost like her body was taken over right before _Max_ approached my dorm room that morning.” She twirls a dangling strand with her finger, “...Before she heard the news about the deaths of her parents.”

Then it kind of hits Kate, piecing together with what the other Rachel said earlier. The hair bun girl’s eyes begin to well up rapidly thinking about the subject that invokes a twinge of sorrow. “Max… the one that I was with the last few days... The one that is able to hop over timelines to save the other Rachel.” She snivels softly turning her body around, “So, she isn’t truly from this timeline, either.”

Not pointing the obvious that time powers were used to create this brand new timeline, but she is realizing that this Max isn’t very different from the other Rachel. This Max has other augmented abilities beyond time powers in which she could see the dead like Vanessa as well as memories that don’t line up with her realities.

Rachel observes in silence with curious eyes. She doesn’t have much to say even though she is a time traveler herself. Or, at least anything comforting words.

Kate twirls the sketching pencil in between her fingers, speaking out her thoughts, “Maybe _that_ Max also have some other unique powers to hear and see the dead. That’s how she got the phone call from her mother even though it never truly existed. It was a message from the dead or another timeline to guide her to my dorm that morning.” 

The pencil stops twirling in her fingers, “Like the other Rachel, that Max also died. Maybe that’s why their souls can jump timelines to take over the bodies of their counterparts. When they died, they were able to come back to life somehow.” She shrugs her shoulders, continuing with her speculations, “Maybe with powers or something else. I think that was the other Rachel’s unfinished business she wanted to take care of. She was yearning to do something to ensure the safety of Max and that is to unite all of us.” 

Rachel rests her cheek, brushing against her jay earring. “It does sound insane but…” Her lips twist to a half smile, “...I’ve seen things that no one should _ever_ see in their life.” She puffs her cheek angrily into her hand with eyebrows furrowing, “Sometimes, I wished that I never had any powers. I hate it so much...” Rachel rolls her eyes, puffing out of a scoff.

Kate lifts her hand up weakly but then letting it fall back to the pad, “I-I’m sorry… I was going to ask you something about your powers. But if you don’t want to talk about it…”

The model lifts her face from her hand sluggishly, “N-n-no. It’s fine.” Her smile becomes more full, “You can ask.”

The church girl gulps harshly, going straight to her question. “Long time ago, you had visions of Max taking her own life by jumping off the roof at Blackwell Academy, right?”

Rachel’s eyes drift away, seeking temporary shelter in the rest of the parking lot to harvest her lifelong thoughts about her chaotic powers. It is also a troubling memory that she is embarrassed about and got her in a lot of trouble growing up. “Yeah… It felt so real that I had to steer Maxine away from attending Blackwell.” She curls her arms on the truck bed, resting her head to look off to the distance of the two shadowy figures, “When I broke away from Maxine to live my life without her, from time to time I would try to keep tabs on her to see what she is up to because I still miss her. When I heard she moved to Seattle and no longer attending Blackwell Academy with Chloe, I thought my nightmares were over.”

Kate extends out her hand to squeeze Rachel’s arm. The model curls her fatigued face to nuzzle to the warm touch. The church girl comforts her, “Rachel, you went through a lot. I can’t imagine how disappointing it must be to change your entire life like that.”

Rachel purrs against the sweet sensation on her skin then turning her head to make playful eye contact, “No one needs to be dragged down with the thoughts about my powers. But Kate, let’s talk about you… You went through a lot, too.” Her voice is sweet and kind, “It must be crushing for you since you knew those _two_ … very well.”

A sheet of wind blankets onto Kate’s thin cardigan sending a shiver through her spine. Her voice is shaky, “Y-Yeah…”

Immediately sensing this, Rachel propels up the side of the truck bed to get seated. She wiggles her butt to get closer to the sweet angelic girl. “Let’s pray and hope they will come back peacefully.” She shreds her red plaid jacket, quickly wrapping it around the church girl.

“N-N-No…” Kate struggles to reject it but it is already secured around her frame. She squirms slightly, “You’re cold too, Rachel!”

The other blonde remains adamant with her decision to shield the girl from the frosty breaths of the heavens, “Kate, it’s all good.” She lets go to brush against the hair bun, “You been pretty damn awesome with Max and my twin counterpart. So, that means a lot to me. No matter what timelines it is, Max will always be my true best friend in my heart. And, the other Rachel is well…” She shrugs, casting a giggle through her smile, “...also me. So, you rock in my book!”

Kate blushes, hugging herself underneath her own and Rachel’s jacket. “Thank you.”

“Besides…” Rachel thrusts her lower back forward and with both hands pushing up her boobs to scrunch against her shirt, “I’m… pretty warm and padded.”

Kate gives a nice eyeful at the curves, shooting a giggle, “Leopards do keep themselves nice and warm...” She cannot resist a grin for her silly jab at the animal prints lingerie that she knows Rachel is wearing underneath.

Rachel releases her grips, letting her boobs settle back down. Her mouth drops but twisting into a smile, “Oh my goodness. You saw that I’m a leopard? Meow...” She paws out her hand, “What did you think of them? Did you like them?”

Kate hums delicately, “Hmm… Wait...” Her voice squeals cutting it off, realizing her automatic reply came out too fast, “ _Ahh!_ No!” Her cringe disappears quickly, noticing how rude it is, “No! I didn’t mean it like that. Ugh…” Her mouth stammers in rapid altering conflicts with the heat growing in her puffy cheeks.

Rachel observes in amusement, drawing out a chuckle but her eyes waggle with abrupt interest, “Wait, did we have…?”

The hair bun girl almost knocks the pencil from underneath her hand, “No, we didn’t do _that_! I didn’t see you naked.”

“But you saw me half naked...” Rachel clenches her fist but not out of anger, “Did you walk in on me?”

“Umm...” Kate scrunches her nose, “...No?”

The sassy girl’s eyebrows lower, “Drats...” She shoves her elbow in the air in a merrily way. She then, rubs her index finger between her nose and pouty lips, “Hmmm… did we… kiss?” Her eyes connect with Kate with interrogating and friendly eyes. 

“Uh…” Kate rubs the back of her neck, her lips weighing down her blushing face.

Rachel’s body leaps lightly, scooting closer to Kate. “Was it a gentle kiss like this?” She puckers her lips giving a sweet soft tender kiss to her own wrist to give a demonstration to the hair bun girl. Kate cannot help but feel stunned by the gorgeous girl.

“Or…” Rachel leans back, straightening her body. She shoves her arm into the air, “...did you push me away? Totally repulsed by such foul act?” She feigns a grimacing and disgusted face.

“No… I wasn’t repulsed by it.” Kate is quick with her reply but she clutches at her other hand, “I… uh… I liked it.” She gulps her throat, nodding slightly to try to be more confident and honest with her feelings.

Rachel also nods back with a playful look on her face, “Chloe talked to me a little bit. That the other Rachel is important to you. And you are also important to her. She will always remember that.” She comments about her counterpart that took over her body. “Kate, I do wish for you to meet her again one day.”

Kate bows her head, thinking if the other Rachel does ever come back, she would be taking control of this Rachel’s body again, “Would you be upset if she came back to your body?”

Rachel shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly, “It’s not like I have a _say_ in it, do I?”

The church girl pouts her lips, “I guess that’s true.”

Rachel smiles, tapping her jay earring, “Until that day happens, maybe we could also be…” Her head bobs to the side, dodging eye contact. “...friends?” Her face is a bit more solemn, “I could use some company.”

The brows of Kate knit together, “Rachel, you have so many people around you. I…” Her voice stops seeing the despondent look on the other girl. Even though Rachel is a popular and free-spirited person, she’s also empty on the inside caused by the burdens that she is forced to endure.

With Rachel’s discovery of Jefferson and her death, she has been keeping it all to herself but deep down inside Kate knows it has been shredding her apart. 

_‘I have to support Rachel.’_

Kate nods her head, “Of course, Rachel. You can always count on me.” She reaches to pat the other blonde’s shoulder and grinning with her usual radiant smile. 

Rachel scans lazily at their joined connection, still unconvinced, “Kate, I’m not as bad of a person as you may think...”

“Shh…” Kate interrupts her with a gentle shush. “The thought never occurred in my head. I know there are at least two stories to everything.” 

The model drapes her head down, her bangs covering her eyes, “It is just… both me and the other Rachel came from a really bad seed. Growing up with struggles and…” Her voice cracks to a halt, unable to finish her sentence.

Kate tips her nose up, trying to break the uneasy silence “I know Rachel. We are all carved from our experiences in life. Who knows what I am in the other timelines?” She takes her hand off Rachel’s shoulder and blouses her own hair downward, not messing up the hair bun, “Maybe I became more of a punk, rebelled against my family and moved with a bad crowd in another timeline.” She brings her hand, joining to her chest. “But we are all still important.”

Rachel curls her lips to a slant. She continues gazing, breathing heavily and needing a moment for herself. A feverish glow rings into her cheeks and finally, she squeaks out softly, “Thanks, Kate. I totally can see why the other Rachel crushed on you.” She winks her eyes.

“Eep…” Kate’s head jolts slightly, her eyes spacing out in the section of the parking lot right in front of her with a smoldering face of her own.

Rachel leans her body to nudge in a light-hearted manner, “I’m just teasing you, Kate.”

The church girl scratches her bun, “I know. Both of you guys teased me all of the time. I could never read it.”

“Well…” Rachel rolls her eyes along with her beautiful grin, “It is because you _are_ a very cute and sweet person. In a way, we’re capitalizing on that.” She shrinks her shoulders, feigning an apologetic look, “Sorry... Hopefully, that isn’t going to be a problem.”

Kate chuckles to herself, brushing along the length of her hair, “Not at all.”

Rachel scoots closer, brushing her body against the church girl in a frisky manner and recoiling back slightly, “Thanks again, Kate. For giving me a chance. I promise to not ever let you guys down.”

The angel nods solemnly. Curious to know what else is going on in Rachel’s mind but for now maybe a slight break is needed for the both of them. “Anytime, Rachel. And we are all in this together.”

Rachel lowers her head, casting a nervous glance all around her, “So uh… for now, we should lay low. Avoid Nathan and that fucker Jefferson.” She turns around looking back at the restroom that still has a line of women forming outside. The time traveler continues, “I don’t want to mention anything about time powers to Megan. She isn’t going to believe it.” She turns swiftly, launching her long flowing hair against the wind. “I think everyone needs some time to recover. Let’s pray Max will start to feel better. The panic attacks and stress are really getting to her.”

Kate turns over to the broken photographer in the dark with Rachel’s eyes following as well. The two lonely figures that are lying on the beach in front of the raging ocean invokes a fluttering in Kate’s stomach. _‘The Max over there is having a terrible time adapting. I’m not even sure if Chloe or any of us could calm her down for the rest of the night.’_ Her eyes drift to the howling wind from the violent sea, _‘Right now, Max is just waiting for a tornado or some other apocalyptic signs to pop up to confirm her suspicions.’_

Kate’s hazel eyes drift down to her own bag that is partially opened. Inside is Max’s photo album that Kate is storing away against the photographer’s will. _‘Max even tried to dig through her photos in her album. She was desperately trying to find a photo that she could hop into to fix everything, in case a tornado does come out. But both me and Chloe had to pin her down with force and pry the album away from her.’_

“So many things are going on right now… And, I’m very worried about Max and Rachel in the other timeline.” Her fingers tap on the drawing tablet but she feels something warm causing Kate to jerk her head, realizing it is Rachel’s hand that she is touching. Kate gazes at their contacting hands bringing back memories that are only couple hours ago.

 _“Oooh! Oohoh! Feed me!”_ The other Rachel’s voice echoes into her broken mind, demanding to be hand fed with the gift of watermelon that Kate offered. This squeezes a smile into the cinnamon bun girl, reminding of the amazing moments that she shared.

But good things don’t last forever. The other Rachel’s voice rings again with gloom this time, _“Kate, I’m not going to be with you much longer.”_ A throb seemingly weighs Kate’s entire upper body down, forcing her to hunch over. Her eyes puff up, clouding up her vision as her heart laces itself to a sting of a blade. 

For a while, she thought she had a sturdy grasp on this mountain to recovery. But she slips back down with her mind collapsing from the empowering gravitational force.

Being beside her and sensing something is wrong, Rachel twins her fingers quickly with Kate. With her other arm, she wraps her tight with a hug, resting her hair against the church girl’s cheek. She whispers to her, “It’s okay. In the other timeline, Max and the other Rachel are going to be fine. They will have each other’s back.” 

Rachel can easily tell from the flushed face of Kate how much she loved the other Rachel. She continues, “So, we are kind of in a two front war for survival. We have our own battle to fight. And, so does the other two. You got it?”

Kate, also squeezes her fingers tightly against Rachel’s. Their eyes meet together, drawing a light warm chuckle from each other. Like they said earlier, they will need to continue this road to recovery no matter what happens. But Kate feels a little more optimistic in this very moment, empowered by the enchanting warmth from Rachel. The hair bun girl replies, “I know.” She nods, feeling the pulse in her neck pumping faster and faster.

Her face lolls slightly in content with how sweet and amazing this Rachel is to her. The other Rachel’s comforting words ring to her. _‘I’m positive this Rachel will love you as much as I do.”_ This strikes her with a mixture of bittersweet feelings but favoring some hope. A sense of hope that she must fight on and continue with her life along with these girls. 

Rachel interlocks their fingers completely, almost able to feel her pumping pulse. Together, they both tilt up to the silver moon that hangs up in the stormy abyss. In silence, they both wish for the safety of the girls in the other timeline. As well as praying quietly for hope for their own future.

#### Maxine Caulfield

#### Arcadia Bay: Pineview Apartments Parking Lot

#### September 23th, 2016 9:23 PM

The black pavement mirrors the abyssal sky hanging above the parking lot that surrounds the apartment complex. Silent vehicles are scattered across without much signs of life besides the few traces of golden light in the distance from the windows of the homes.

The graphite colored Toyota Tacoma pickup truck is housed underneath an opened concrete enclosure at the perimeter of the lot, enabling some privacy from any wandering eyes in the soulless lot. Its windows are coated with a sheer haze against the chilly autumn night. Inside, the two girls are cuddled tightly on the driver seat. Chloe is rooted down on the slightly pulled back and slanted chair and the brunette with the long wavy hair lying on top of Chloe but off balance to the side.

Max blinks owlishly, wetting her parched eyes amidst the arid cabin of the truck with its rolled-up windows. It is a far more modern and taken better care of than the rickety junk of a truck from her own timeline. The seats have sleek cement gray cloth with stylish white stitching along the edges.

The freckled girl puffs out hoarsely, “Chloe…”

Long flowing and strawberry blonde hair frames Chloe’s head in this timeline. Her bright blue eyes dart lazily without much focus but still a glimmer in them from the moonlight reflecting indirectly, “Hey… you look like you just woke up. Sorry… was I _that_ boring to you?” She extends out her tongue through her exhausted smile.

“No, just something in my eyes.” Max swallows to make an audible distraction with her eyelashes fluttering disorderly to play along with her quick lie. “But I’m fine now.”

“Ah...” The blonde expels out the air in her lungs to recoil back to the car seat. She bites her lips then wetting them with a gleaming layer, “Could you continue?” She asks politely through the dryness, pleading even more quietly along with her gasping mouth.

“Huh?” The time traveler’s brows knit in confusion, stiffening her rib cages.

“Oh…” Her warm breaths puff delicately to add to the growing mist of the driver’s side window, “...you’re going to be Mr. Scoorge and withhold me from...” Her voice hitch for a moment, “...cumming.” She licks to add another sparkling layer on her moist lips, “Bib, I see how it is. You’re a smaller girl than me but a tight bundle of sass and attitude.”

That hardly seems to be the case as Max’s unattractive crossed eyes flicker with perplexity to drag her gaze trailing down along the blonde’s body. Her shirt is removed revealing her dark blue velvet bra with shimmery damask stripes on it encasing her perky breasts. There are already several aggressive trails of slobber plastered throughout her chest.

The blue eyes continue along past her smooth and faintly pudgy stomach. Chloe’s jeans are unzipped and partially pulled down revealing a matching dark blue panty. Wedged tightly inside the glimmering satin underwear is Max’s entire right hand.

‘ _Oh boy…’_

Instinctively, Max’s hand flattens, tugging away to gain as much distance as she can but the tight fabric of Chloe’s underwear binds it down, leaving an awkward straining shape of an imprint through it. The blonde doesn’t notice such embarrassing act as her eyes are closed, humming softly to herself.

Feeling the urge to retreat, her eyes dodge away from such unpleasant sight of her own hand being squeezed into her childhood friend’s panty like if she got caught with her hand in a cookie jar. In this case, that is partially true. Distracting herself, she scans at her own body to help collect her bearings. Anything to help relieve the awkwardness that is roasting inside her.

Max has on a pale pink shirt that has short ruffled sleeves. She can feel she isn’t wearing a bra underneath, feeling the layer of sweat on her chest pressing against the smooth cotton material. Looking past her shirt, her pants are removed but still have on a maroon lace panty that is partially sagging downward on one side. _‘Oh, thank dog I still have my underwear on. Hmm… these are way too fancy and expensive looking for me.’_

She tugs the elastic band to fix her underwear then she immediately feels the cool traces of wetness that are splattered across her panty pressing into her burning skin. _‘Oh god, did I pee? Or did I…’_ She blinks with innocence and naivety. _‘I don’t think I ever had a… Or at least did… long enough to have one… Oh my god, I can’t even say these words in my own head. I’m hopeless with these things.’_ Her face glows, skipping the embarrassing words even if it lies in her own private secured shell of her mind. 

She takes a deep inhale, realizing her pulse is still pushing hard against the relaxed muscles that stretch across her body. Feeling like the weight has been removed from much parts of her in a satisfying way.

Max coughs to disguise her wincing expression, “Ahem, it so… wet?” She immediately regrets saying it in almost a robotic voice for such of a statement as well as in a form of a question.

Fortunately, this doesn’t arouse any suspicion in the deeply fatigued blonde. “You _sure_ are...” Chloe casually grazes her soft fingers, swiping at Max’s crotch, inciting a jolting twitch of displeasure from the timid girl. But Chloe reads it differently, “Oh, you’re really sensitive, huh?”

The brunette groans through her teeth in disgust, “Y-yeah…” She murmurs her breaths in disapproval but not trying to sound snappy, “...Please don’t touch…”

“Sorries…” Chloe breathes out her playfulness but her tiredness retracts her body back down with a harsh thud to the car seat. Her eyes whine in a light-hearted manner drawing the concerned girl’s attention, “But why…” Her legs squirm underneath, demanding the intensity to be quenched down there. 

Chloe pinches her thighs together, rocking her hips in a rhythmic motion against the stiff and uncooperative hand of the brunette. “Mmhmmm…” She moans, finding the bucking motion against Max’s rigid tucked hand is providing stimulation for the time being. Not enough but she will take anything even if it is contributed by her own.

Max looks down, seeing her completely dumbstruck hand being humped by her own best friend. Feeling the smelting moisture that is emitted by Chloe. She gulps herself but trying her best to not feel absolutely repulsed by it. Even if it is the person she loves, this is _too far_ of an act to be engaged in. 

But at the same time, she also cannot simply abandon and pull out in such situation. _‘Shit, what do I do? I don’t want Chloe to get suspicious or angry at me. I don’t know anything about this timeline!’_ The shy girl’s fear of being rejected runs deep along her network of bones. She yelps out, uncertain if this _stranger_ will buy anymore of her lies, “Sorry, I’m just winded all of the sudden. That’s all.”

The blonde scoffs in an unsatisfying sigh, “If you’re just going to leave me hanging, then when we get back to our place I’m going to play that VR hentai game that you hated me for buying.” She cups herself, digging her fingers into the cup of her bra, “The one where you play as a student with that hot ass principal with long purple hair. And boobies that are _way_ bigger than her head.”

There is a mild amount of disappointment that can be heard in Chloe’s voice, yet it sounds inviting and friendly at the same time. More and more Max’s mind feels the pressure of caving in with her identity crisis. She has to make the adjustments of balancing her own self and this mysterious _Maxine_.

Adding a little splash of herself, the dork’s eyebrows light up to the sound of that. “Oh! That actually sounds fun.” _‘Holy shit! VR? Does it work? Or is it gimmicky?’_ It seems like her best friend is still a geek or possibly even more so in this timeline. “Can I play too?”

Chloe’s brows cock up her forehead, “Wait... what?” A sunny smile that shines with energy over her bagged face, “I have just one headset.” Her smile transitions into adorable pursed lips, “Didn’t you say it was pathetic to _get off_ to video game characters?” She tips her nose up in the air, “Or was it any imaginary characters?”

Max’s nose wrinkles, denying that she ever made such statement. “No… Why would-” She sniffs again, making the realization that she isn’t _herself_ right now, “No, I was just kidding. I didn’t mean that.”

The blonde girl slants her shoulders, squeezing one of her eyes close. “I don’t know. When I was playing the game with the headset, you got mad when I tiptoed to look down at the principal’s cleavage.” She sticks out her tongue, then continuing, “And you said I was pathetic, when I crawled down on the floor to look up the principal’s pencil skirt.” She winces her body in a goofy manner, expecting a slap.

But there is no way Max is going to be slapping this mischievous girl, even if she is thinking about it. “I was teasing. Sorry, if it sounded harsh...” Max rings out an apology as her throat constricts with her next words. “Hell… I think I may do the same things if you let me play.”

Chloe’s eyebrows arch, her eyes gleaming with excitement that Max is very accepting of this very personal hobby as well as being interested in it, “...I’ll let you play.”

“Yes!” Max reflects back with her own content smile, “I’ll play it all alone, though.” She pouts her lips.

“Oh? Little Maxine is feeling a little shy?” Chloe’s prying eyes reflect off from the rafts of moonlight piercing through the steamed window. She licks her lips, whispering in a sultry voice, “What _else_ are you going to be doing while you’re playing this game alone?” 

Max’s eyebrows raise with some confusion from the question along with her watery and fatigued eyes. Her voice is withered, “Nothing other than I’ll be… playing the game alone?”

Chloe giggles half-heartedly as she still lacks the oxygen in her lungs, “You are acting like a dork… but still a tease.” Unable to tug for the answer she was hoping to hear. “A good tease, though.”

Max continues to show an amusing amount of interest in this mysterious video game, “Does the game have a good story?”.

“Umm…” Chloe tries to resist but unable to hold in her short laughter. She takes a deep breath to answer the apparent serious question. It is strange but at the same time, the nerd is totally fine with Max being intrigued with her perverted hobbies. “To be honest, I just skipped to the _sexy_ parts.” Chloe licks her lips, panting like a playful dog. “If I take too long, I probably would get caught… ...you know...”

“Oh…” Max’s eyes lower slightly, a little let down with the lack of information.

“Are your fingers getting numb?” Chloe pulls Max’s cramped hand out of her own panty, not giving her a chance to respond as she already sensed it. She rests Max’s boiling hand on her tummy. Her hips twitch and she inhales deeply but emitting a beautiful smile, “You can stop… Don’t force yourself if you’re uncomfortable.”

Even in this awkward moment, Max is mesmerized by this absolutely sweet and gorgeous person in front of her. But this could be her ticket out of the difficult situation. Her breaths choke up but forcing her words through, “Uh-h... y-yeah it is. I’m sorry.” She lifts the heated fingers and twiddles it in the cool air. Then she drifts it across to caress Chloe’s cheek but it quickly draws a wince from the blonde. “Ooh! I’m sorry!” Max immediately apologizes to the reaction, not even sure what her apology encompasses.

Chloe leans her face to wipe her touched cheek on her shoulder, “No, it’s cool. You kind of… smeared my own cum… ” Her eyebrows furrow in confusion with her choice of word. “Erm sorta... whatever it is called... onto my face.”

Max’s eyes toss between the trace of fluid that coats both her index and middle fingers and the gleaming smudge that still lingers on her best friend’s cheek. “Oh sh-...” She cringes more and more realizing what it is. 

There is an uncomfortable amount of silence as Max’s face burns up with the mistake that she made. Almost seems like she has stopped time. If only she really can, she could use the timeout to have a total mental meltdown. Feeling her _cover_ would be blown, the more awkward she acts. But awkwardness is one of her treasured traits that she has. _‘Quick! Maximo, say something to break the silence.’_

She chuckles with feigned relaxation through her tightened stomach that is filled with butterflies, “I make you… umm… _too wet_?” Instinctively, she facepalms her own face but unfortunately with the hand that she was rubbing Chloe with, also smearing the moisture across her freckled face. Feeling the stickiness and again realizing what she just did, she groans and curses herself silently. _‘Oh my god. Abort Max. You need to get out of this timeline… Right now!’_

Chloe gasps sharply but dousing any more sound to humiliate the clumsy dork. Her body jolts forward, reaching for the glove compartment. Inside, there is a box of tissues that she swipes a few sheets. 

Without any hesitation, the sweet girl begins wiping the face of Max who is still stunned by her own stupidity. With each gentle scrub across the freckled face, Max is slowly being brought back to reality, seeing the enchanting and adoring face of Chloe.

Finishing wiping the face, the blonde continues to carefully dry the fingers of Max with a very sweet and wide smile that sends the right signals to put a relaxing composure back to the panicking dork. 

Chloe crumbles up the used tissues and tosses it down to the floor mat by her legs. “You’re so funny. I love it!” She winks her eyes giving a friendly and warm accompanying chuckle. 

Even amidst the chaos of her traveling over to this foreign world and body, Max feels a spell is being placed on her. Becoming increasingly allured and welcomed by this amazing person. Max doesn’t even know what to say back. _‘She… loves my dumbassness?’_

Chloe lets in a deep breath as her hands slide down her body, grazing against her breasts with her left hand slipping further down into her own panty. “I’ll go finish myself, okay?”

Her two fingers acquaint herself quickly down there being hidden underneath her underwear, leaving a clear outline and ripples through the soft material. The dull blue eyes gaze into the distance, with her mind is searching for a lustful memory or image that she desires. Honing in on one, her eyes close to welcome it front and centered into her imaginative mind. Her breaths return back slowly as she finds the circular rhythm that pushes against the fabric of her underwear, Slowly, the intensity recovers back between her legs. All of this silently invites Max to observe her.

Max’s mouth gapes open slowly, her face blooming at the sight of this tender and private moment from her best friend. Her eyes darting rapidly back and forth, unable to settle her eyes on the moaning beautiful face of Chloe or the swift and squelching fingerwork she is performing on herself.

 _‘Chloe is… taking care of herself… right in front of me.’_ Feeling a mixture of arousal and uneasiness, seeing Chloe engaged in such act is a push into the deep end in terms of comfort. Another wet gulp squeezes slowly through her thickening throat, lighting up her eyes with a fiery gust. _‘...Holy shit, Chloe…’_

Chloe’s face is blushing with heat and barely enough energy to keep her half lidded eyes open as most of it is being expended down along her body. Despite full of lust, her face is rather serene and gentle, “Okay…” She gasps lightly to herself, acknowledging that she has found the right spot and pace for herself. 

A tingle strikes down Max’s legs. Without any conscious thought, she places her palm against her own crotch, soothing the heat that sparked from the shivering of her thighs. Still, she musters an apology that she cannot fulfill her role, “Sorry Chloe.”

“No, don’t be!” The blonde shakes her head profusely but then her lips purse with slyness. “Well… could you…” She runs her free hand along the underwire of her bra, “...suck on me?”

“Oh…” Max replies robotically, knocking some sense into her. “Uh… your lips, right?” She asks with her usual awkwardness.

“No silly… Now, it’s your turn...” Her hand slides up, rubbing across both cups of her bra. “Go on… You can take it off.” Her body sits back up, while her left fingers are still in motion. She winks at Max, “Show me how it is done with one hand, you slick cat.” Her rib cages lunge forward, arching her two curves toward the blushing spectator.

Max’s gaze buries into the deep azure of Chloe’s bra. _‘Holy cow… quick... Max say something!’_ Nonsensical words scramble onto her tongue, “I don’t need any hands.” Again, she wants to facepalm her own mind immediately. _‘Smooth Max... I’m going to leave you. That’s right… your brain is going to leave you right now. Not going to be humiliated alongside with you.’_

“Ooh…” Chloe’s eyes flash, “You’re going to use your mouth? I didn’t even know that is possible but I want you to do it!” She turns around, facing the back enclosure of her bra to Max.

 _‘Oh dog… what the fuck did I do? Brain… you still there? Ah fuck it… Maybe it isn’t that bad.’_ “Hell yeah…” Max mutters in a sly voice that differs completely from her internal mind. Without hesitation or more importantly, any clue, she hones in her face at the back strap of Chloe’s bra. Jumping into the raging river without a paddle is exactly what she is doing. She clamps her lips onto the back strap that is fully tense. Inside her mouth, she wiggles her tongue, pressing against the two hooks that secure it tightly.

She gnaws and struggles with this fruitless attempt that she has no idea what she is doing, the strap slowly soaks up all of the saliva from Max’s tongue as well as all the available energy in her aching jaws. Her chest jolts, feeling a gag that is hurling up to her chest but she curbs it the best she can, taking deep steady breaths.

Suddenly, it seems like the chirping of the crickets of the night has become louder to echo the stupidity that is happening in this truck. Chloe’s self-pleasing fingers have halted as she looks over her shoulder at the pitiful brunette, “Umm…” Her voice is dry with her full attention directed at the foolish girl. “Okay, that’s enough out of you.” She mutters the remark yet displaying a pleasing joking tone.

Without any hesitation, Max concedes and pulls back, taking a deep sigh of relief. She jokes to play it off, “I failed!” 

“Haha, epic failure!...” Chloe giggles sharply through her heaving wet breaths. “Think my dorkiness and dumbass-try is rubbing off on you, Maxine. You’re getting close to stooping down to my level.” She licks her lips, reaching back to unbuckle her bra, then the rest of it falls off cleanly after a few shrugs. “Now where were we...” She turns around to face her topless silky smooth body.

Her decent sized breasts hang loosely under the cover of the steamy windows that is hopefully enough cover in the quiet night. Her chest, as well as the rest of her body, are a little bigger than the Chloe from the other timeline. Probably due to the extra weight packed on from college as well as spending more money on eating food and gaming instead of medicating with a much cheaper allowance.

Her inhales increase dramatically, heaving her chest toward the freckled girl who has done nothing but stares at the curves protruding toward her. Max gulps, “Of course.” Her voice rattles with weak confidence.

Chloe easily catches this, “Do these not meet your seal of approval?” Her eyes examine her own breast then the other.

“No--pfft...” Max gets interrupted with her own crazy laughter. Her mind feels like she is strapped down to a car, speeding down a highway with no signs of braking. So, she has to improvise on the spot. Her face lights up, giving a single clap with her hands. “No, they’re… nice, Chloe.”

Chloe plumps her lips, demanding to be convinced by the compliment, “Well?...” She arches her back as well as accentuating her breathings. With each strong inhales, her breasts heave boldly, inching its way to the freckled girl’s reddened face then resetting back with the accompanying exhale.

With her free hand, Chloe squishes her right breast up toward her jawbone. Keeping with steady eye contact, the blonde scrunches her neck and tilt her head forward. She licks her lips then her tongue extends out to barely graze her own nipple with the tip of it. Her chest rattles slightly on contact then remaining steady. She continues to lash it with her tongue, sweeping viciously all around it until it hardens.

 _‘Wow...’_ A blooming heat spikes hard into Max’s body at the sight of this. Her beautiful and sultry best friend licking herself invokes an odd mixture of lust, dulling her face with a numbing sensation. Infused with the strong sexual desires of Maxine’s body but still the reservation of her old self, her body trembles to the conflicting thoughts.

Chloe draws her head back slightly, dripping a stubborn dangling trail of saliva from her tongue that is still connecting with her nipple. She slurps her mouth to suck it all in, “I can only lick it. Can’t suck on it.” Her eyes spin around then landing at the secretly introverted girl. With her puppy dog eyes and pursed lips, Chloe requests silently for Max’s tongue to trace the exact same path but not before bursting out a giggle through her relaxed lips. “Gosh… the look on your face is so adorable…” Her voice trails off as she has reached to a new quaking stage from her own manual stimulation.

With many thoughts are going in her head that she cannot even process the compliment, Max’s breaths quicken with a gleaming trail of saliva slipping out the small crack of her dull lips. _‘She wants me to suck on them? Should I ease my way with my hand, first? Shit, I have no fucking clue.’_ She flattens her right hand and slowly inches closer and closer in stuttering intervals. Finally, it makes cold contact with Chloe’s right breast, lacking any passion and sending a slight cringe into the brunette like she touched a bucket of ice.

Chloe laughs to the amusing sight, “Are you not into this anymore? You were earlier...” She looks at the stiff connected hand to her chest. “I guess you did just cum… Fatigue is probably kicking in.”

‘ _Ugh… Should I tell Chloe who I really am? I think she’s getting very upset at me...’_

Before Max could even say anything, Chloe’s smile wraps proudly across her face, arching her eyebrows rapidly. “Sometimes, I do feel like passing out after I get off. No worries.”

Max’s thighs twitch, triggering a grimace in her face, “A little bit… I’m so sorry, Chloe.”

“Bib!” The sweet blonde chuckles, almost interrupting her own word. “Please, don’t ever be sorry! It’s cool. But uh...” She looks down at her underwear, “I may need a little more time. But let me finish it, okay? It won’t take long.”

 _‘Gosh, she may be different. But still the Chloe I know and love.’_ Max smiles and her eyes scan down the length of the half naked body, focusing on Chloe’s underwear and the shifting movements underneath it. A flutter sails up Max’s stomach as she is deeply entranced with this amazing, sweet and beautiful person. She has no idea what she is doing or at least lacking the confidence for it. But she wants to do something. No idea how any of this works, she does what her heart tells her and betting Chloe will react positively regardless what happens. She leans in and traps Chloe’s lips with her own, sucking on them.

“Oo-oh… G-god...” The blonde gasps being caught by surprise, breaking the quick kiss.

Max smiles, feeling more bold than she ever has in her entire life. She whispers to her, “Are you thinking about that sexy principal while you’re touching yourself?”

Chloe raises her eyebrows, then rolling her eyes in a smug but playful manner. “I was but…” Her blue eyes return back, “...now I’m thinking about you.”

That answer draws an even greater smile into Max. Unable to resist any longer, she dips her face back to kiss Chloe.

“Mmm..” Chloe pushes out an uneasy whimper as she retaliates by chewing on Max’s lower lip. Instantly, the brunette loses virtually all control of her body, succumbing to the intense kissing coming back from the blonde.

Chloe sticks her tongue inside Max’s mouth. With every fierce lash against Max’s tongue and the rest of her mouth, it triggers an involuntary convulsing twitch to Max’s thighs. The freckled face becomes crushing with bloom from the lack of oxygen as Max is forgetting to breathe from the overwhelming sensation that is plowing through her entire body. 

However, the blonde draws back slightly, allowing to catch her own breaths as well as a temporary dousing of the scorching heat on their lips. Then, she reconnects to taste more of Max as the squelching sound of her fingers become louder.

Feeling almost possessed, Max’s flighty hand drifts down to trace along Chloe’s arm down to the self-pleasuring hand but stopping before the wrist. She can feel the stiff tendons of Chloe’s hand rubbing faster and faster. And, that she is getting close.

The heat continues to spread in Max’s body, that she sails her other hand to curb the flames in between her own legs. She rubs her fingers with dullness across the soft material of her panty. “..mmph...” Max moans very faintly, puffing it gently into Chloe’s warm mouth. She is embarrassed about it despite being virtually impossible to hear it over the blonde’s much louder panting and the slurping of the kiss.

Again, Chloe has to tilt her head to the side, breaking away from the kiss. “Mmmhmpp-...” She screeches through her pressed lips, her tall body is stiff yet it is shuddering erratically as it lengthens as much as she can in the tight spot of the truck. Feeling even more energized with Max’s faithful hand being close by, Chloe presses her middle finger down her slit, letting the moisture seeps into her fingers as well as her satin panty following out a long content sigh.

Up in the low ceiling of her truck, Chloe gasps, seeing fluttering stars that circle above her. Her toes curl trying to find as much room as possible in the cramped area by the car pedals.

Then Chloe’s entire body shakes in a single intense motion curling forward and tightening her stomach. A sound that falls between a low moan and an unintelligible profanity slips out of her mouth. Finally, she collapses back into the seat with a forceful thud as her eyes are half-lidded with a soft layer of tears to blur her vision. All the muscles in her body relax, including her left hand which is whipped out of her underwear, spreading a gleaming trail across her lower belly area.

Max’s chirpy eyes lock on it. Her nose wrinkles, automatically knowing what to do, leaning back to pull some tissues from the glove compartment. Carefully, she dries Chloe’s moistened fingers, just like what she did for her earlier before tossing it with the other wads of tissue.

“Mmm…” Chloe purrs through exhaustion. “Thanks.” Her eyes close as her lips are gaped, gasping for air to replace the energy she has expended. Her chest is still heaving hard, twitching slightly as the intensity is slowly oozing out in cascading waves from between her burning legs.

Infused with growing confidence, Max’s body rises up slowly like a champion. Then, a thud rattles across her skull as she smashes right into the roof of the truck. Her body jolts down sharply, almost flattening against Chloe’s body. “Fff-uck me!” She cries through her feigned whining.

“Hey! You okay?” Chloe jolts up in pieces as her body is still partially rooted with lust. She fumbles but finally able to grab Max’s head, rubbing the spot of the impact. “You okay?”

The soothing fingers seem to be fanning out the pulsating pain that is radiating throughout the clumsy girl’s head. “I’m good. With you here, I feel great even when I’m stupid.”

Chloe chuckles half-heartedly, “I’ve done _way_ dumber things, Bib. Erm…” The huffing blonde winces, “Maybe I should stop calling you that.” She scoots her body back up to the seat, “I hope we didn’t make a mistake tonight. I still want to be your friend.”

“Friend?” Reality is slowly snapping back in pieces into Max. The confusion is humbling the elevated ego of the hipster and also curing the throbbing pain in her skull. “Umm… of course.” She mutters along.

Chloe is too exhausted to even take note of it, “It’s weird right after we break up is when we first have _sexy times_ with each other.” Her head cranes to the side, looking at her left hand that is still placed on her stomach. “Or at least partially… I guess I had sexy times with myself.” Her eyebrows arch, “I’m kidding. It was fucking hot that you were kissing me while I was doing it.” 

“Uh…” Max chuckles nervously. Her cheeks are very stiff, holding her awkward smile much longer than she wants.

“Maxine, are you okay?”

“I’m fine… I-I…” Max’s stiff twitching muscles finally give in. She tries to piece words to draw some simple sympathies. “...I’m still a bit tired and so many things are going on.”

“I know.” Chloe sighs peacefully. “So... I’ll move my stuff from our room to the other room.” A grin emerges from her face, “Maybe she can sleep with you in your bed tonight? Or she can sleep in my bed and I’ll crash on the couch?” She stretches her body, wiping the beads of sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, “I don’t know if I have the energy tonight to carry her mattress and bed frame down the stairs and load onto the truck.”

“W-Wh...” Max stutters quietly, wanting to ask who is this person Chloe is talking about but not wanting to reveal her ignorance.

“Maxine, this may sound kind of corny.” Chloe brushes her long tangled hair, “Maybe I just feel like saying dumb things after I get off…” She coughs deep in her throat, “I should ask my mom if I say nonsensical stuff to her during breakfast.”

Max emits a sound that resembles an outlandish and confused giggle.

Chloe continues, “But uh…” She rolls her eyes, showing great difficulty in the next things she is going to say. “You know how you ripped that picture of Rachel and you? And, you tossed it in my trash can?” She shrugs her shoulders, “I know it sounds creepy as fuck.” Her eyes widen, “Actually, it is pretty creepy now I think about it. But fuck it! I’ve been trying to restore it back together. I’m not exactly sure how yet but I’ll figure out the best way.”

“Rachel…” All the pride that she has been slowly building up has fizzled back to abyssal level inside the pit of Max’s stomach. _‘Fuck… I totally forgot...’_

Chloe turns her head to focus on Max, “I’m sorry. I know you told me numerous times it isn’t my fault but I still can’t fully believe that.” Her eyes lower, “I don’t ever want you to ditch Rachel because of me.”

Max doesn’t have anything to say to Chloe’s selfless words. Her breaths hitch to a halt, realizing she has completely forgotten her original goal. She has been drenched and preoccupied with the intention of remaining incognito in this counterpart of her. In addition, the stunning presence of her own best friend in this very intimate moment. And again, she will keep making the same mistake of prioritizing her love with Chloe in any timeline.

Her heart pounding, Max shoves the firm body of the blonde, “Chloe, we need to find Rachel. I have a bad feeling about something.” Chloe grunts quietly from the unexpected push.

Max’s frustration with her herself squeezes and controls her tongue, “Chloe, we need to go right now.” She draws back, her head scans around the cabin through the blurred windows. _‘Again, I can never do anything right! I’m too stuck in daydream land with Chloe. I’m not worthy to anyone since I keep doing stupid shit like this.’_ She bites the inner of her bottom lip, cursing at herself, “Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me? Why the fuck am I even doing this right now? I’m just wasting my damn time here.” Her voice quakes with a sobbing tone.

The color dissipates rapidly in Chloe’s face, her eyebrows arching, “Errmm…” Then her eyes lower to gaze at her pathetic left hand who was used to please herself in a solo act. The angry tone of Max sends a luster of shame into Chloe as the heat has expelled completely from the rest of her body. She pouts her lips, realizing their time together at this very moment has been nothing but a waste of time, “S-sorry…” The quivering in her body has been cast out in favor for unforgiving stiffness in her muscles. 

In frozen silence, she reaches for her dark blue bra, hooking it above her belly, then spinning it around to put on the rest of it. She blouses and fixes it so it is fully supported and dodging any more eye contact.

Max takes a moment to realize the hurtful words that accidentally slipped out of her chaotic head. _‘Shit, I shouldn’t have said that! I need Chloe to be on my side.’_ She can feel her soul wanting to simply drift out of this cursed vessel of a body, “Chloe… Please...”

Draped on the car seat by Chloe’s shoulder is her dark blue buttoned dress shirt. The blonde seeks shelter with it, tilting her head to begin chewing on the collar of the dress shirt. Stricken with humiliation, she needs something to cope with it.

Max covers her own body, shivering from the arctic air that is piling in to replace the heat. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. But I’m not Ma-”. A throb stings into her brain, skewering it across the length from one eardrum into the other. It is that feeling again.

Max clamps both of her ears tightly, trying to prevent the ear canals from spilling out of her head from a splitting migraine. Her fingers ting with small blue flames that spread across her hand with the whirling sensation that seems to sever laterally across her skull. “Chloe, help! I’m having a panic attack. Please…” Not even sure if her time power is manifesting again or her corrupted soul is painting across the rugged canvas in her mind.

Her eyes swirl with grim shadows dancing over her. Suddenly, everything sounds like she is being submerged in water. Finally, Chloe hops over to assist but her voice is muted. She attempts to calm the brunette’s burning chest, trying to give a comforting rhythm for her breaths.

Max takes a deep breath then begins counting out loud. Only hearing her own voice and the low rumblings from the cliffs of her mind. “1… 2… 3… 4… 5… ” She exhales sharply, with reality also shifting away from her.

A muffled door slams and another hand taps her shoulder. _“Honey, we’re home.”_ Vanessa peeking right beside her outside of the opened car door. She has a modest smile, _“I’ll make you some hot chocolate and we can watch Simpsons in your room, tonight.”_ Finally realizing what this memory is, her mind has spun back to the night of prom where Max suffered a panic attack after her parents confronted her supposed-to-be prom date at the venue.

With piercing dizziness, Max clamps the side of her head tightly again, resuming her counting that echoes through her head. “...6… 7… 8… 9… 10… ” 

Again, her mind howls with a haunting sound that streaks down her spine. In front of her is a white door with the number ‘203’. 

“Open the fucking door, Rachel!” Max has no control of her body or anything else but that is her voice burning through her fierce lips. Unable to see herself but she immediately knows she is in Maxine’s body, treading into the uncharted territory of her counterpart’s memories. Her clenched fist pounds again on the door.

A short moment later, the door opens with a frail figure behind it, “Maxine…” It is Rachel. The _broken_ Rachel. Her eyes are puffy and her face is laced with bruises that make Max’s knuckles twitch with the urgency to add more right next to them.

Max boldly walks through the door into the apartment studio, pointing at her with a knife, “If you dare to hit me again… Instead of pounding your stupid brain in again, I’m going to fucking stab you with this, you understand?”

“Okay…” Rachel weakly scans at the weapon, not at feeling threatened at the knife. In fact, she gazes intently at it, almost like she would be fine with it slashing across her neck. Rachel has on a white shirt and light violet shorts and her body is looking very weak and thin.

Max walks straight into the bathroom, digging into the cabinet under the sink. She carefully sets the knife down on the tile floor and crouching low.

Rachel approaches in the doorway, “Maxine, my mom hasn’t been feeling well but she hasn’t told me ‘why’, yet.” She wraps her frail body with her own arms, “Could you please do me one last favor and come with me to see her? I’m very scared to go by myself.”

Everything about Rachel seems so irritating to her. Anything that comes out of her mouth is stupid. Feeling boiling steam that is belting against her own vision, Max glares up from the floor with flaring heat in her blue eyes, “You’re fucking kidding, right? That restraining order will be coming real soon. I’m just waiting for the court date.” She gets down on her knees, shuffling toward the door. “Could I get some fucking privacy?” She slams the door, pushing the feeble girl out of it.

She leans her body inside the cabinet. On the ceiling of the cabinet and around the sink bowl, there is a slab of duct tapes that is rather hidden. Max yanks a single tape and pulling out a small brown bag. She shoots a tiny glimpse inside the bag but quickly scrunches it up and tosses it inside her purse. Max stands back up on her legs and proceeds to leave the bathroom.

Outside, Rachel is sitting at the edge of her lonely bed with crossed arms, “So, where are you and Chloe moving to?”

“Nowhere near you,” Max replies with frustration as she continues to the main part of the apartment. There is a flattened section on the carpet, marking the area where Maxine’s bed used to be. The brunette glances around looking at the bright monitor of the laptop on the desk.

Rachel croaks behind her, “I wish I can change everything back. But my powers stopped working...”

“Well, it seems your dumbass powers are still working fine.” Max scoffs, “Time powers? Again, with that bullshit? If you ever do get time powers, please go back in time and wipe me away from your life, okay?”

“I know you would love that.” A forced smile hangs at the corner of Rachel’s lips, “What if I told you there is another timeline where that is true?” She shuffles her body on the edge of the bed.

With clenched fists on her side, Max storms to her, “Wow! Could you take me to that timeline?”

Rachel ignores the question, with the dread in her face there seems like a final lingering strand of hope in her teary eyes, “I met you in that timeline. You were very sweet to me but you were also troubled…” She sniffs her nose, “If one of these days I can get my powers back, I would love to help her with my powers.”

Max rolls her eyes, leaving a sardonic laugh, “Yeah right… you were always a true stupid idiot, Rachel. She is only sweet to you because she doesn’t know how fucked up you really are. And clearly, she is using you for whatever purposes she has.” She hunches her body slightly to get closer to the blonde’s eye level, “Why the fuck would she care about you?”

Rachel’s head slowly settles back down. Her eyes are gazing down at the carpet, no longer wanting to say a single thing to counter the remarks made by her former best friend. Whether to say anything or nothing at all, it hurts too much as her pathetic mind is completely collapsed.

Max glowers at her for a little bit then returning back to the laptop. On it is Rachel’s checking account. The balance reads ‘$533.24’. That is not nearly enough to cover the month’s rent, especially with Rachel not having a job anymore. She will have to break the leasing contract and absorb the premature termination fee. In the other tabs of the web browser, there are names of websites she is browsing to like ‘Job Search’, ‘Finding Hope’ and ‘Coping with Depression’.

Max’s lungs tense up at those names, feeling invisible beads of sweat spilling out on the back of her neck. But she disguises it, turning around and walking toward the door silently.

Rachel doesn’t even look or say anything else. There is nothing else to say.

Max opens the door looking over her shoulder to give one last look of this person that she hates then closes the door. She walks down the hallway of the quiet apartment but her legs becoming increasingly heavier with each step. Getting to a point where she cannot carry herself anymore, stumbling and crashing into the carpeted floor. Her fingers scratch deeply into the floor slowly pushing herself back on her knees. She slams the knife, stabbing the floor to leave a gash in it.

She drops the knife, hugging her own knees for comfort, sobbing to herself. “Rachel…”

A cacophonous sea of chaos weaves across her body, sending her back to her own body. Or rather, back to Maxine’s body in Chloe’s truck. The whirring sounds continue, draining all her energy.

She is still in Chloe’s arms as the brunette forces out her lips, “Chloe…” She grunts through her clenched teeth, partially happy that she has returned back to the normal world. Or, at least as normal as it is going to get. _‘I’m going through Maxine’s memories. She cared about her but it was too late. She’s so mean to Rachel… I am mean to Rachel…’_

“Maxine, please be quiet. You need to relax.” Chloe cradles her closely, kissing the sick girl’s forehead, “Your head is burning up.”

“Rachel isn’t in the apartment.” Max pushes the words out with great difficulty. Her body seems paralyzed almost like before except she can feel the pain pulsating throughout it. Feeling she can slip away again or perhaps depart completely from this timeline, she musters the remaining of her energy, “I don’t know what is happening. But you’re the only one that can save her. Please…” 

Her eyes become heavy, fading away into the arms of her best friend. The chaos that is scrambling in her mind, slowly lets her mind weave into a rough slumber.

Chloe shoots out a sharp exhale, “M-Maxine…!”

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: CVS Pharmacy Store

#### September 23th, 2016 8:58 PM

The car pulls into the parking lot of the CVS pharmacy store finding an available spot in the relatively empty lot. Rachel twists the key off the ignition, letting the engine die to the cool satisfying silence of the air to help ease herself of the recent events.

She steadily rests her head on the steering wheel, still applying pressure on the stinging pain of her wrist. A stream of jealousy drills down her throat and into her stomach, knowing that all she did for the others will be forgotten as they will continue to reap in joy in their new hopeful timeline.

 _‘I have never been one to be friends with people for too long. It is always my jealousy or anger that will push everyone away from me. Maxine was the only one that endured as long as she did. But now she’s gone.’_ Her ears throb to the stillness of the night that engulfs all around her. _‘This is where I belong. All alone. Walking this path by myself. Just like the other Rachel who reset the timeline to save Dad. Sure, there were people that surrounded her as she grew up. But her lone soul endured the guilt and burden that came along with her time powers.’_ Her hazel eyes gleam with envy. _‘But she is going to be fine now. Knowing that she avoided her imminent death.’_

Teetering on the tightrope that hangs between her decisions. On one side, is fighting to survive against her self-inflicted wound. To fight to live another day. She will have to move on in her life and deal with the shame and consequences of her actions. And, to be reminded forever that all the people have turned their backs on her when she needed them the most, including the other timeline. 

And on the other side of her decision, is to let her body freefall permanently to an eternal slumber.

But for now, she will stand on the rope for as long as she can. Not wanting to do any rash decisions for the time being especially with her mind muddled in havoc. _‘I’m sorry Max... Chloe… Kate... Maybe whenever I die, I can come visit your timeline as a ghost to watch you guys live a long and happy life together.’_

Her body continues to sink internally as she steadies her breaths from the fatigue that is kicking in from the loss of blood. The bleeding has stopped but it has crippled her to the state where she had to pull over to this drug store. _‘I feel weak as fuck but maybe I can get away with not going to the hospital. I just need to not drive for a little bit. After I take care of my wound, I need to go see my mom.’_

Rachel’s pupils constrict from the dazzling lights of the store that contrast the unforgiving night. For now, she needs a breather. Perhaps, clean the wound and patch herself. Her lips stiffen, not needing to verify her pockets. _‘Shit, I don’t have much money anymore. I will need every penny I can get from now on.’_

When Rachel fast-forwarded this timeline for about a month, there was a huge gap of events that has elapsed that she doesn’t even know about other than piecing the scarce amount of tiny fragments in the giant unknown puzzle through her observations and text messages.

Apparently, the Rachel that took over _automatically_ during this month long period had her time powers disabled yet preserving the memories of everything else that has happened prior. 

After she attacked Chloe outside of the hospital in this timeline, Joyce fired Rachel from Two Whales. It was her only source of income. Disgusted by the attack along with being pressured immensely by her parents, Maxine had to leave her best friend, forcing Rachel to live alone and absorb the full extent of the rent without a job.

Feeling neglected and nowhere to go, she did the only thing she could and lashed back at everyone. She had a few visits from Maxine and Chloe and it ended up with blood and bruises on both sides.

Rachel burnt the bridges for everyone as well as digging her own lonely grave to die in. All these looming events did nothing but to cement her grim future in this miserable timeline. There was nothing left to do. Her sanity spiraled out of control crumbling her to a point where it no longer seems worth it to continue on. She is completely abandoned and all of which are contributed by herself. 

Deep down inside, she cared about everyone but could never bring herself to apologize for all the cruel actions she has done in her entire life. She didn’t think anyone would ever accept it as it is far beyond the point of forgiveness for a mad person. She writes her apology in her suicide letter and proceeds with the intention of ending her own life. Maybe Maxine will care, maybe she won’t. With the first slash to her left wrist, spilled her blood down to the carpet floor of her apartment. Before anything else could have happened, the fast forward spell wore off leaving _this_ Rachel to take back control of the body. 

And now after the time trip to the other timeline, it seems nothing much has changed since. If anything, hope has dwindled away even further.

Not deterring from her short-term goal, she tries to grasp at any sliver of desire to live for herself. The weakened time traveler looks at herself in the rear view mirror, spotting the bruises that entangle across her face. It will surely attract attention from the store associates so perhaps stealing what she needs will be more beneficial. _‘Get up, Rachel… Get up… Do this for yourself.’_

She grunts through her teeth but her body lolls back to the seat. Her heavy breathings resume and her eyes drift back up to the short ceiling of the sedan. She closes her eyes to let them rest but praying she will not slip to a breathless dream in the abyss.

Kate’s voice soothes a glimmer of hope inside the tortured soul’s mind, _“Whatever you discover later…Always remember you can seek comfort with me, okay?”_ And Rachel does exactly that, grinning softly to the warm words. Even though Kate has seen the worst side of Rachel, she knows the hair bun girl will always respect her for what she did. Or at least that is what Rachel wants to believe in her heart for now.

Rachel’s mother from the other timeline also springs a smudge of ambition back into her decayed spirit, _“I want you to be happy.”_ She opens her eyes sharply, letting the abundance of light from the store to seep into her soul.

Both voices from Kate and Elizabeth are not actually _here_ as they’re from the other timeline. Her mother in this timeline is still alive but could be possibly counting down her remaining time left in this forsaken world. And, she never met Kate in this timeline. Despite all of that, it still imbues Rachel with a small kindling flame of aspiration. Even if she is all alone in this world, she wants to do it for them.

Rachel cracks open the car door, wedging her body through the slim opening to be careful to not slam into the adjacent crossover vehicle. Her slumped body snakes through the parked cars and approach the dazzling lights of the store. She blouses her clothes, trying to make sure it isn’t too wrinkled. Hopefully, her current appearance will be less of a glaring attraction. Hoping no one will notice the stain on her dark hoodie jacket and the bruises on her face.

She marches through the automatic sliding door, casually avoiding eye contact from the store clerks that are checking out the paltry amount of customers in the front. The store is relatively empty due to it being in the late evening.

Rachel swings to the health care aisle, moving toward the overhanging sign that says ‘First Aid and Bandages’. She eyes through the shelves at the various selection of bandages and wrappings.

The stifling silence of the store is almost deafening as it paralyzes the body of Rachel. Again, reality continues to eat away at her proposed objective of survival, giving herself repeated reminders how dreadful the rest of her life is going to be.

She turns her head toward the front, seeing a clerk refilling the wall of cigarettes behind the counter. An old lady that is shuffling her feet at an agonizing snail-like pace with the shopping basket tucked securely around her elbow. Even as monotonous and mundane these people may appear, it is more life than Rachel feels with herself.

Footsteps approach cautiously stunning Rachel in her stationary stance. In her peripheral vision is a basket with a few handles of alcohol in it. A girl calls to her, “Do you need me to call for help?”

Rachel looks up partially, feigning innocence to hide herself a little bit, “No...” It is a girl of around her age, she has long flowing hair like Rachel’s that falls over her chest. The hair is wavy and dark between black and a brunette level. At the ends of her hair are streaks of faded pink that transitions into a soft silver. Her face is plastered with pale makeup and dark contrasting eyeshadows that wrap around her long eyelashes. Four gemstones that are riddled across the upper portion of her right ear. Her crystal blue eyes are honed in onto the bloodied sleeve of Rachel. This stirs a great amount of tension in the blonde but her voice is remaining feeble, “Please don’t...”

The girl blinks slowly stepping in close, now focusing more on the scratches and gashes that are partially shrouded by the shadow of Rachel’s hoodie, “You’re sweating right now. Are you breathing okay?” She presses her index and middle finger right at the corner of the bruised girl’s neck to feel her pulse.

Rachel winces at the cold fingers pressing into her skin. She articulates her steady breaths more, “Yeah, I’m breathing fine.”

The girl releases her fingers, “Okay, your pulse is stable. May I look at the cut?” Her eyes widen showing sincerity even among her punkish look. “It’s okay.” She adds with her soothing tone.

Rachel nods lightly, figuring what is the worst that could happen at this point. The punk scans around her surroundings, making sure there is no one else as she unravels Rachel’s sleeve. The wound still looks nasty.

The helpful girl doesn’t even hiss at the sight, she mutters quietly, “Looks like the bleeding has stopped.” She lowers the sleeve back to cover it. She turns her attention back to the bruises, “Someone hit you?” With bold and intimidating eyes, she looks behind Rachel to scan for anyone else that could be lurking. “Is he here? Don’t be scared. You can tell me.” She clenches her fists and digging her black-painted nails into her skin. “I’ll fuck him up.”

“N-No, I’m…” Rachel’s sobs get disguised underneath her heavy panting. “...I’m all alone. For reals.”

The stranger’s eyes broaden then shrink back with silent acknowledgment. “Alright, let’s go to the restroom to clean it up. It’s in the back.” She picks up a box of wrapping bandage, tossing it in her shopping basket.

Rachel could ditch this person at this point but perhaps the hospitality from her is rather captivating as Rachel follows the girl to the back of the store. The punk makes one quick stop to pick up a bottle of coconut water from the refrigerated cooler. She drops her shopping basket outside of the restroom but entering it with the bandage and bottle.

The restroom is eerily still just like the rest of the store with a single ceiling fluorescent lamp working to provide more of the gloomy atmosphere. However, the bright and determined spirit of the girl seems to radiate a glow among the darkness.

“Come here…” The stranger turns on the faucet at maximum flow. Rachel obeys, rolling up her sleeve and extending it out and over the sink. The girl adjusts so the items are clamped against her tightened elbow as she pumps soap into her hands. “I’m going to scrub the area to disinfect it.”

Not uttering any words, Rachel continues to listen and observe this person who is washing the wound with care, creating a reddish hue of soap bubbles in the sink. In this moment of calm, she is starting to catch up with what’s happening. Her eyes are spinning not sure if it is a side effect from the loss of blood or everything happening way too fast.

“Could you sit down on your knees?” The punkish girl commands with her eyes scanning the rather unappealing floor of the restroom. “I want you to elevate the wound to be higher than your heart to reduce any possible further bleeding. Just in case...”

Rachel’s shoulders twitch, recalling the familiar words that trickle into her ears from the previous timelines. A part of her denies it. Silently, she hunches down to get on her knees, holding her left arm straight. In her vulnerable position, she puts her trust fully into this stranger as more and more thoughts are materializing into her mind.

“Keep your arm relaxed.” The girl’s polite tone that contradicts with her appearance as she also helps with supporting Rachel’s arm, turning off the faucet and grabbing a few sheets of paper towels. “I’m no pro but my younger sister told me she learned this when she went camping.” Her lips twist in a lackluster and empty smile. She continues on, focusing back on the wound, “The cut isn’t that deep.” Her hand gently dabs the towels to absorb the excess water and any remaining blood on Rachel’s wrist.

Still mesmerized with the touch, Rachel senses a growing awareness with this person but same time wanting to reject it. She stutters her voice, “Tell your sister thanks uh...”

The girl connects with Rachel’s eyes, “I don’t ever see my sister anymore. But my name is Katie.” She pulls out the roll of bandage, discarding the box to the floor.

Rachel blinks rapidly, her lips remain neutral not favoring in either direction. _‘I knew it. It is her.’_ She swallows, taking a full gander at the punk, “Kate… Beverly Marsh?” She stutters in her question.

Katie gazes deeply into Rachel’s eyes, correcting her. “Uh… no, it’s Katie. You know who I am?”

Rachel weakens her stare for a slight moment, stammering in her words, “I-I… u-uh...” Feeling her skin becoming more clammy than it already is, “Uh… no, I don’t. I’m a little out of it.”

“You do know me. You know my full stupid name.” Katie is swift and bold with her accusation. “From church?”

“Uh... yeah…”

“I stopped going to church a _long_ time ago…” Katie chuckles a bitter laugh, “Never seen you around. You weren’t in my church group.” She begins wrapping the bandage onto the cleaned wound, “You saw me in one of the services?”

“Yes.” Rachel forces out the lie, recalling a few things she has learned about this formerly conservative girl. She takes a wild stab to see if she can pry a bit more with her prior knowledge, “You played the violin, right?”

“Ah yes I did…” Katie’s wistful eyes get lost in the white sink with a faint remaining trail of washed up blood mixed with the soap bubbles. For a moment, her face relaxes as Rachel studies with silence, trying to get a gauge from her expression. Katie continues, “Back then when I had a stupid cinnamon roll on my head, right?”

The words sink Rachel’s heart a little bit. “I liked your hair bun.” 

“Just a stupid look I had growing up.” Katie finishes tightening the rest of the bandage, giving a gentle rub with her fingers to ensure it is fully secured. “No one ever took me seriously. It was fucking bullshit. I’m glad I’m done with _all_ of that shit.”

Rachel begins to feel weak and it isn’t from the loss of blood. “I see…”

Katie looks down at her own body, “Uh, I look different, huh? A bit fatter and more ‘hellraiser’ looking?”

With the shock still settling in, Rachel can observe the rest of Katie’s outfit. She has on black boots and long black jeans that are ripped out in several sections, exposing her curvier thighs. Her body is a bit bigger than Kate, closer to Rachel’s own body size in this timeline. She has a dark olive green jacket tied securely around her waist, not fearing the cooler evening of Arcadia Bay. Katie has on a black tank top with dropped armholes that exposes the side seams of her gray bra. Looking at her face again, her blue eyes are colored contacts.

Rachel forces out the words but she still means it with her heart, “You still look great, Katie.”

Katie’s eyes dip down slightly then making nervous contact with a weak smile partially uncertain on how to receive the compliment. She doesn’t say anything but still holding idly onto to the injured girl’s arm. Maybe she isn’t as bold as she appears as she could have some remorse with the direction of her life.

Rachel closes her eyes with a shudder that rings into her body. _“You can always… drift back to me… No matter what timelines you are in, okay?”_ Even the warm voice of Kate sends a frosty chill into her churning stomach. 

Her resting face dives deeper pulling more of her memories with the girl. _“Come back to me, okay? I don’t care… tease me... poke me… make fun of my hair… do anything. If not here, then do it in any other timelines… You can probably find me at your nearest abstinence club. Or, at the church. I apologize ahead of time if I’m a boring person. But! Please, give me a chance, okay? I want to hear your story. I always want to.”_

Remembering Kate’s adorable words draw a slight chuckle from Rachel as she opens her eyes back to the cold reality of this timeline. Katie seems much different than Kate is but then again so is Rachel and everyone else. 

_‘Time travel is fucking insane…’_

Giving into Kate’s request, Rachel gives a few gentle pokes with her index finger onto Katie’s wrist, forcing the confused punk to squirm back slightly that knocks the injured girl out from her trance. Rachel squeaks out, “Sorry! I was thinking about a friend of mines that helped me a lot. I didn’t mean to poke you like that.” The brief smile has quickly faded away into a frown.

A cringe paints over Katie but it quickly dissipates to a more sympathetic expression, as she looks at the bandaged wound and then back into Rachel’s eyes, “Did you lose this friend?”

The blonde swivels her head, “Yeah, I did. In my most fucked up times, she was my only beacon of hope and kept me going. But she’s gone now.” She rotates around looking at her own faint shadow that is cast onto the wall of the restroom. “I need to keep looking forward and not be dragged by the dark shadows that still follow me.” Her head cranes back to Katie, “Do you know what I mean?”

The punk nods solemnly, “I... know exactly what you mean.” Her voice has some sweet and sympathizing resemblances to her counterpart. Katie’s finger gently traces along the edge of the bandage on Rachel’s wrist, “I went through a shitty time when I was in school.”

Rachel lowers her eyes, feeling disheartened that such haunting events will continue to plague her angel. _‘Whether it is a Vortex Club party video or something else, I think Kate will always get bullied for her conservative upbringings. So she had to either break down completely or rise up and fight against them. She probably also broke off from her family because of this.’_ She makes sure her voice is absolutely sincere, “I hated school, too. I got bullied and dropped out of it.”

Katie traces invisible circles onto the bandage, “Me too.” There is a brief period of silence without a single word drifting across the air. Both girls feel they are connected in this very moment despite not knowing each other at all. At least for Rachel and perhaps her mind has reached a level where she will grasp just about anything for hope. She feels like she has been saved by this person again, even though it was a simple gesture. Sometimes, the most simple things can mean everything.

Slowly, Katie shuffles her legs to stand back up on her feet, “I better go.” She rolls her eyes, sticking out her tongue like a drained out zombie but revealing the stud piercing on it.

Rachel catches the glimmer, “Hey, you have a tongue piercing?” She tips her prying nose up, stepping closer.

Katie arches her eyebrows then opening her mouth again to reveal it. “Yeah, my boyfriend asked me to get it.” She snaps it shut, “Apparently, he got bored of it real quick since he rather just fuck instead of getting his dick sucked on.”

The color saps away from the already pale skin of Rachel as she also stutters back up with her legs, “Uhmm…” Normally, such vulgar words wouldn’t faze Rachel but still surprised coming out from this person. “...Uh… Boyfriend?” Maybe the appearance is a clear giveaway but it is a huge departure from the precious and conservative angel she knew.

Katie casts a nervous grin, “Sorry I got carried away. That was a bit _TMI_.” She looks outside the restroom door, “Yep, that’s what all the booze is for. We’re just going to drink with his buddies for the rest of the fucking night.” She shrugs her shoulders also rolling her eyes in slight disgust, “Who knows… Maybe I will find myself dead in a dumpster tomorrow morning.”

 _‘Shit… That got real dark. Real fast.’_ Rachel narrows her eyes, “Wait... what? Don’t say that.” Her stare darts between her patched up wound and Katie with her blood pumping faster and faster, “Look, I know I’m not one to talk especially in my current predicament but you seem like an awesome girl. Don’t ever think less of yourself like that.”

The compliment doesn’t inspire Katie at all as her voice continues to remain a lack of any affection, “Yeah I know. I’m just fucking around.” Her eyes roll around, realizing she still has the bottle of coconut water underneath her arm. She twists the cap and hands it to Rachel, “I forgot. Here drink this, it’ll hydrate you.”

Having the sudden realization of dehydration when Katie mentions it, Rachel takes the bottle and down it quickly, quenching her thirst. Katie looks on with steady eyes that lack any life in them like she has her own demons lurking in her mind.

_‘I don’t know how much Katie is willing to open up to me, right now.’_

Rachel drinks about half of the bottle, finally stopping to let out a satisfying sigh, “Thanks. Uh…” She looks at the bottle, twirling it around in her hand, “I don’t have any money. To be honest, I was going to steal the bandage until you walked up to me.”

Katie forces out a flat smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it.”

Rachel beams her best sunny smile, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” But her smile quickly disappears as she did spot the despondent look from Katie earlier. _‘I wonder if there is something sour going. Maybe her boyfriend? Or maybe me bringing up the past is digging up hurtful memories.’_ Feeling she owes Katie for something and in addition a ‘thank you’ for her counterpart in the other timeline for being there for Rachel when she needed it the most.

The time traveler scratches the back of her neck, “I know you barely know me. But is there something wrong?” She fidgets with her hand, tossing the bottle up a short distance, “I’m pretty messed up in the head but I’m a good listener.”

“Uh…” Katie flutters and lowers her eyes, “What’s your name?”

“Rachel…” She squeezes the bottle in her hand, shielding herself, “...Rachel Amber.” Katie nods solemnly with tenseness in her body.

But before Katie has anything to say, a sudden boom strikes into Rachel’s heart with a thunderous crash, feeling like a cannon has blasted cleanly right through her body. She clenches tightly against her chest, making sure it is still there. Droplets of sweat emerge out of the pores across her face and neck. _‘What’s going on? Am I… dying? Or, is something else happening with this timeline?’_

For a little bit, everything is a blur, like an image being burnt into a monitor then it flickers back and forth between clarity and distortion. A wisp of blue flames appears unnaturally off in the distant. _‘What the fuck is that?… Shit, I didn’t use my powers, though.’_ She looks at her wound which seems unblemished behind the bandage with the exception of her trembling hand. Still, she gazes at Katie with a fearful expression, knowing that something is wrong and this is where she could slip away to her breathless sleep forever.

Katie’s eyes widen to the frightened girl, reaching out for her, “Are you okay? Rachel? Let me call the cops.”

_‘Not like anyone can cure time travel bullshit.’_

Rachel shrugs her body, trying to steady her body from the shock. “No, I’ll be fine. I don’t want that much attention.” With the knuckles of her hand, she knocks against the temple of her head. “It’s not from the loss of blood but the demons that have been tagging along for my entire life are at it again. That’s all.”

Katie bites the inside of her lips, reaching out to press the back of her hand against Rachel’s face. She feels the arctic hell that burns underneath it, “You’re freezing right now.”

Rachel’s body lolls but remaining on her feet. Drifting her head upward, her vision blurs with distortion seeing the majestic rope lights that hang over her like glowing stars that are radiating down with brilliance. 

Slowly, Rachel’s head lowers to see that she is back in her dorm room in Blackwell Academy. Right in front of her, Kate is sitting politely. She holds a teacup in her hand with care, which is burning hot with plumes of steam rising from it. Her smile is pressed thin and gleaming with happiness that is expected from this person.

The smile, however, pecks away at Rachel as her head wavers back down. Knowing that this is all a dream and isn’t real. She could never be with that person again. 

_‘Why do you care? You’re not real, Kate.’_ She is cold toward the demons that still paint a false sense of hope in her mind.

Slowly, the room alters back to the restroom, with Kate’s counterpart standing right in front of her. She has been observing every subtle movement from Rachel, noting she is more stricken with anxiety than her body is reacting to the injuries. She mutters quietly, “Does this has something to do with the person that you lost?”

Rachel blinks rapidly as her eyes are welling up at an alarming rate. She responds with a slow and silent nod. 

Katie doesn’t say anymore. She can see the agonizing pain that is coursing through the girl. Not wanting to pry and dig up any more hurtful emotions from the poor girl, she whispers, “Alright…” She draws her head back, giving a full scan of Rachel’s body, “I know you’re barely standing right now and I want you to be safe. My boyfriend can drive you to the hospital.” Her eyes flicker to the side, “He can be a total jerk off sometimes but I’m sure I can convince him to drop you at the hospital.”

“It isn’t as bad as it looks.” Rachel brushes the sweat off her forehead with the chilled cold drink in her hand, “But I do feel a little lightheaded. That’s why I pulled over here in the first place.”

Katie steps forward, patting on the back of Rachel, “Then, let’s just be safe. We’re taking you to the hospital.”

The soothing touch from this girl brings up the warmest moments that Rachel can recall from the other timeline with this angel. She cannot help but feel entranced with the glowing support. And, she wants to stick with this person a little bit longer. “Alright. Sure...”

\---

Katie exits the restroom hallway with the shopping basket in her hand. In her other arm, she carefully guides Rachel, “Let me go look for him. Sit down here.” She helps Rachel over to some outdoor furniture seatings that are on display at the back of the store. She unravels the olive green jacket from around her waist and wraps it around Rachel, providing some extra warmth for her. “Yell for help if you start to feel woozy, okay?”

Rachel settles herself down in the chair, fixing the jacket on her. She gives an exaggerated cheery smile, just to insist she will be fine on her own. “Thank you again, Katie.”

Katie beams a soft smile back before letting go to venture back toward the front of the store to search for her boyfriend.

Rachel stares wistfully as the punkish angel taking off away from her. A shard of despair still coats her as her loneliness continues to infuse inside her. Realizing that this special person is very different in this timeline. She wonders about her life, showing growing concerns for her. _‘I hope everything is alright with her. And I don’t want this to be the only time I will ever see her. Maybe we can be friends?’_

Rachel’s phone buzzes in her pocket, prompting her to pry it out of her jeans. It’s from Chloe. Her heart freezes in her chest yet her blood courses rapidly through it. A painful reminder that she has to accept all the consequences of her actions.

Slowly, Rachel swipes the phone, answering the call, “Hey…” She shifts the chair around to face away, silently requesting for more privacy even though there is no one else around her.

“Rachel?” The voice calls out on the other line. She seems a little surprised or nervous despite the one initiating the call.

“Hey, Chloe...” Rachel mutters with lethargy. The last time she could remember interacting with _this_ Chloe was back outside in the hospital where she threatened to jump through the rift to change the past by letting William get gunned down. If she did that, he wouldn’t notify Maxine’s parents which created the serious chasm between the two best friends, effectively ending the friendship. Rachel was a terrible person for even considering that. In hindsight, it was too reckless but the emotions were high and desperate at that very moment.

_‘It’s crazy how far I’ve come with these powers. I wonder if all the Rachels across the other timelines have the very same powers. Or, if it is just me? And, what about Max?’_

“Hey, how are you doing?” A forced level of chirpiness sputters roughly from the other blonde girl.

 _‘She still sounds sweet like the way I remembered her. Maybe… she’s not that mad at me? I don’t know…’_ Just the meeting alone with Katie has given Rachel a burst of hope to push as hard as she can in life. “I’m… okay.” Rachel looks over her shoulder then shifting her body away to keep her voice low. “I’m out right now.” Not even sure if Chloe would care.

“You’re out?” Chloe’s voice flares up. “Wow, u-uh…” She stumbles to recover her words, “I guess we should have called you first. We are outside your apartment, right now.”

Rachel’s eyebrows lower, “Why… why are you guys outside my apartment?”

“Umm…” Chloe’s hesitation can be heard over the phone in the cold and agonizing silence. “Maxine and I wanted to see you.” Her voice is full of sincerity, “We miss you, Rachel.”

A throb routes through her heart. Rachel shakes her head, taking curious and paranoid glances around her surroundings. “No…” There has always been a growing sense of dread that lurked in this home of hers. She wonders if she is even in the correct timeline. 

_‘I thought I should be prepared for death ever since finding out that I’m already dead and used my powers to return back to the living to break Max’s out of her endless loop. It should be inevitable that death will come for me soon. But now, a part of me wants to hang on to see what happens. But will I be dragging these innocent people down with me?’_

Showing some concerns toward her former best friend who despises her but still having difficulty with it, she pushes it out through the lump in her throat, “...I-Is M-Maxine there?” She stammers, still fearing the eventual detonation that is going to happen when they meet up. Rachel is still destroyed on the inside from the complete destruction of her relationship with ‘Mousey Max’ in the other timeline.

Chloe sighs, showing signs of distress, “She’s here but… she umm… kinda… passed out.” She snorts, “...Sorta?”

“Passed out?” The blood pumps faster through Rachel’s veins. Even if a part of her want to run away from everything, this person is still her best friend. Her lightheadedness is starting to weigh her down, “Chloe, is she okay? Like seriously, is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. Uh…” Chloe drags her tongue over the line. “Did Maxine ever have panic attacks… or erm… nervous breakdowns? Shit, I’m not quite familiar with any of this.”

Rachel’s spine stiffens like a rod, “No… That’s more like me. She’s fucking stable as an ox.” Her eyebrows lower, “She had a nervous breakdown?”

“Uh… yeah.” Chloe mumbles half-heartedly. “But! Don’t worry, she seems more peaceful at the moment. But uh…” She coughs, “So, where are you?” She chuckles to break the unsettling silence. “Do you need some company, Rachel? Can I join you?”

“Uh…” Rachel’s tongue is tied up, originally wanting to prod for more additional reassurance but the change in Chloe’s tone twists her mind. Rachel looks over her shoulder still finding the store to be strangely quiet. “Katie is with me.”

“Oh… Is it a friend of yours?”

Rachel blinks softly, not answering the question, “Chloe, please take care of Maxine since I can’t be there for her.”

There is a cold silence as Chloe ponders about the words. “Rachel, she was never going to put that restraining order-...” Her voice trails off, again thinking more and more about it. “Rachel, you’re not doing anything stupid, right?”

Rachel’s head becomes uneasy, dodging away but still listening to the phone.

“Rachel, please…” Chloe sobs softly on the other line, choking up any more words from her.

The sound of someone crying for her tears Rachel apart. She shrinks her body in the chair. She wants to take this lonesome road all by herself. Rachel doesn’t want to drag anyone else down, especially if no one will ever believe anything that has been going on in her tainted mind. But if there is one person that could possibly be a lingering sliver of hope, it may be Chloe. But it is the same person that Maxine chose to be with.

The tormented girl’s voice cracks, “Chloe, I know what you were doing with Maxine. I know you guys are much more than just friends.” It surprising she could finish the sentence. She knows Chloe is the right replacement for her. In any timelines.

Chloe exhales sharply, “Rachel… H-How did you know?” 

“Time _fucking_ powers, Chloe.” Rachel chuckles coldly, “You will never believe me. No one ever did. But that’s how I know.” Her eyes drown in the monotonous white tiles flooring of the pharmacy store. “I know the future but there’s no way to change it.”

“Time powers, huh?” Chloe’s voice is steady, but it begins splitting as well, “Uh…” She groans at herself, muttering incoherent sounds that cannot be distinguished. “Rachel, if you know the future then do you know how much both Maxine and I care about you? Tell me where you are, Rachel. We will listen to you. We promise. Granted, Maxine is still asleep but I can pinch her butt to wake her up. Though I’m afraid she’ll slap me. But I’ll take one for the team!”

The extended amount of comforting words from Chloe is rather invigorating to the deathly soul that resides within Rachel. She breaks it with a slight chuckle, “Maxine… I don’t know.” Still, not quite convinced with all the shit she has forced her best friend to go through.

“No…” Chloe continues with her bold voice, “Maxine wanted to come visit you. _She_ wanted to see you. Her 21st birthday was full of sadface because she wasn’t with her best friend.” She sobs lightly on the other line, “You mean the whole world to her. I’m serious.”

A shuddering jolt rattles Rachel’s body, hearing the words that send another fluttering across the abyss in her body, “Chloe…”

“And fuck it!” Chloe shouts across the phone with empowering energy, “You got me, Rachel. I was never mad at you. Maybe a little scared…” Her voice cracks to almost a wheeze for a moment. “...We were all scared of each other, though. But shit, you can tell me anything. I promise.”

Rachel shields her mouth with her other hand, muffling some high pitched sound through her skin. Her breaths choke against it as well. She doesn’t want to say this but her mind is crumbling and needs to confide in someone. “Chloe…” Her voice squeaks, “Chloe, I slit my wrist.” She looks down at the tightly wrapped bandage, hissing in pain being reminded by it.

“Oh god… Are you bleeding right now?” Chloe swallows the lump in her throat, “Where are you? I’ll call for help.”

“It’s fine.” Rachel immediately calms down but a faint smile forms on her lips, “It stopped bleeding and its bandaged. And, this person Katie is going to take me to the hospital.”

“You sure?” Chloe interrupts her skepticism, “Alright… I’m still freaking out, though.” She lets out a terrified yelp to expel her agonizing concerns. She demands more information, “W-where are you? I want to see you. We both want to see you.”

A single flow of tear drips down from Rachel’s eye, “You can meet me when I get to the hospital. I’m getting a ride there.” She brushes to wipe the tear with the back of her hand, “I’m at the CVS right now.”

Chloe sniffs her nose, “The CVS next to my house? I think it is the only one around here?”

“Yeah…”

Chloe grunts like she is adjusting her body, “Alright, I’m going to head over to the CVS right now just to make sure you’re getting to the hospital safely.”

“Thanks, Chloe.”

“Keep the phone running, okay? I’m…” Chloe grumbles and curses on her side as the sound of the truck’s engine starts up. “Maxine, I have to put the seat belt on-...” She squeals on her line, grinding her teeth. After a brief moment of struggle, she recollects herself with the phone, “Okay, I’m off. I’ll be there soon.”

“Alrighty,” Rachel mutters as her ears twitch to the faint approaching footsteps that is behind her in the formerly quiet store.

“Well, you can tell that emo bitch to go get a Uber to the hospital.” A guy’s voice calls out from behind.

“Shh…” Katie hisses loudly to hush him. “Shut up, there are no Ubers in Arcadia Bay. And a cab will take forever.”

The guy sighs loudly with his footsteps patter excessively against the tiles of the store. “All the fucking time. We’re fucking late like always.”

“Hey, cut it out, alright? I don’t want to start this bullshit, again.” Katie’s voice is far more violent in contrast to before in the restroom.

Chloe’s voice elevates over the phone, “Umm… I can hear arguing on your side. Are those the people that are supposed to give you a ride?”

Rachel’s lips are frozen like the rest of her face. Her ankles ache from the excessive tapping she is doing, wanting to flee from this store. She is no longer the popular girl like in the other timeline who is gleaming with positive energy. Social anxiety and tension paralyze every part of her body except her panting lungs. Rachel should be used to people disliking or abusing her by now but the bellowing voice of Katie’s boyfriend stirs an unnatural born of chaos inside her.

Unable to hear the heavy breathing from Rachel, Chloe’s steady voice continues, with the sound of someone stirring in the background, “Oh I think Maxine is waking up…” Her voice softens up as she converses on her side, “Maxine, sorry we’re driving already. But whenever you’re ready, Rachel is on the phone. Seriously, I have no fucking idea how you knew Rachel wasn’t in her apartments.”

 _‘Wait… what? What is she talking about?_

Suddenly, her throat feels like it is rugged with several layers of guilt and perplexity squeezing tightly down to her chest. Trapped, with the approaching strangers on one side and her old best friend on the other.

“Rachel is on the line?” Maxine’s voice rings out in the slight muffled distant stirring the thunderous and looming cloud over Rachel’s head.

Finally, the footsteps stop right behind her, a disgruntled scoff puffs out ringing into her hair. Rachel doesn’t turn, wanting to delay the inevitable a little bit longer.

“Rachel! This is Max.” Her breaths in panting heavily over the phone. “Not Maxine… This is Mousey Max…”

Rachel’s heart leaves a shattering thud through her chest, muting all the sounds around here. “W-what?” Her own voice squeaks to the unnatural ringing silence.

“Hey!” A thunderous voice skewers deeply into Rachel, knocking all of her senses back into her, resuming her pounding heart.

“Fuck you…” A pair of supportive hands squeeze against Rachel’s shoulders, with Katie looping around into view. “Are you still okay?”

 _‘Wait, Max...? How is that possible?’_ Feeling completely overwhelmed, she propels back onto her legs, retreating toward Katie and turning around, seeing her furious boyfriend.

Rachel’s pupils constrict at the sight of the familiar guy. In one timeline, he gunned down William for discovering Dana, who was Chloe’s good friend that disappeared. Then, shooting Chloe in the head when she sought out searching for her father. In another timeline, this person mounted on top of Rachel’s body and stabbed her repeatedly. Then, he dug his fingers into her pants to claw inside her. 

Finally, in _this_ timeline, Rachel got her revenge by running him over with her car. Then she proceeds to plummet him to a bloody pup. Unfortunately, Rachel blacked out afterward and he was able to get away.

Corbin was his name. And, now here he is. The boyfriend and lover of the counterpart of an angel that means dearly to Rachel.

“Who is that?” Max’s concerned voice asks through the phone, breaking the silence.

Even Rachel hardly acknowledges it as she lowers the phone down away from her ear. Her blood invigorates across her body. Crystals of sweat begin to seep out of her burning skin. She stiffens her body, pressing against Katie’s arms who is supporting right beside her.

Corbin’s eyebrows arch with a crooked smile drawing at the edge of his lips. There are several cuts and bruises that are still scattered over his nose, face and his neck from the beat down he got from Rachel. Corbin twirls his finger uneasily, giving quick glances between his girlfriend and Rachel. He has on a rugged jacket on which seems like it could be concealing a weapon or even a firearm. Which is likely given he was armed before.

“Well… well…” Corbin examines the bruised face of Rachel. “Looks like you got fucked up as well.” He crosses his arms, “Babe, you know who this is?”

Katie focuses at Rachel for a bit, then shaking her head, “Huh? Who is it?”

Corbin stretches his back, cracking it, “Remember a month ago, when some crazy bitch ran me over with a car?”

Katie’s eyebrows furrow slightly, then returning back to Rachel, reflecting with her wide blue eyes. She quickly pries the phone away from Rachel’s fingers.

“R-Rach-...” Max’s faint voice can be heard before it is taken away.

Katie takes a step back with the phone, looking at the name of the caller then returning her gaze back at Rachel.

Rachel clenches her empty hand into a fist, as all her fears have completely dissolved away from her body. Feeling enraged and determination, she glares right back at the punk with a low and thunderous voice, “Kate…”

Katie’s eyebrows twitch at her former name, softening a little bit of her glare.

Rachel shifts her attention back to Corbin, feeling the growing oppressing aura that is about to engulf her. Very faintly, her right fist glows in red sparks, fueling the rage and survival within her.

  


#### Another amazing art from my good friend, Harpuia!

[Source](https://harpu89.deviantart.com/art/Mirror-The-Twin-Moons-701220611)  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. As mentioned earlier, I went on a trip. Then of course BTS was released and I also suffered a bit from the Post-BTS Depression syndrome which made it hard to write this chapter. Not going to spoil it in case because still haven't played it but I really like BTS. Going to keep it simple. :D
> 
> So, this is the first real chapter in Alt Rachel's timeline. Now, it has been a while since this timeline was visited. Chapter 15 was the last time. In fact, I "retconned" a few things about this timeline. This is what happens for writing a HELLA LONG running WIP story. xD I feel ashamed for doing it but for my brain and my thoughts about the story, it was the better choice. Simply put... the character Callum doesn't exist in my story anymore. I haven't rewritten Chapter 13-14 and earlier chapter to account for this change. It would require a rather overhaul for the rewrite, and I'm not quite ready to think about it. Callum was meant to have a supporting cast/romantic option to Rachel and also have time powers as well, in addition to Prime Max. But more and more, I started to like Prime Max and how she interacts with Alt Rachel. To reduce unnecessary complexity, I had to get rid of Callum. Doing so, I can focus on the "dream team" of the four girls that this story has become. I remembered suffering sleepless nights about how to fit Callum more into my story but it just felt like "pure shoehorning" at that point. The decision to get rid of Callum was made back at Chapter 18 (before the big timeline reset), I just haven't shared this until now. :D Anyways, I know it is a shameful dispray to change things like that, but hopefully you guys are understanding and okay with the result!
> 
> Now back to the chapter... So, there are lots of weird can of worms in this chapter. So, we have two timelines going on again... :|
> 
> So in Prime timeline, I decide to write from Kate's perspective. Toward the end of the last chapter (Ch 32), Kate and Chloe were confident and determined to carry the torch. So in this chapter, everything is falling apart. "Another Max" has taken back control of her body, suffering anxiety and PTS. They are trying their best to move on, saving Megan for now to alter history for her. But there is an uncharted territory for them as things are not going as expected. 
> 
> Now Alt Timeline... Max is jumping into Maxine's body and to put in such... of a situation. I tried to make it a bit more conflicting that Max doesn't want this but same time... want a little bit of it. Meeting this new Chloe is rather pleasant experience despite the situation she is in. Then at the end, she gets reminded of her objective that she is here to save Rachel. Sending her to a mental breakdown as well as triggering some memories. One being the prom one (which is recurring a lot) and the other being a memory from Maxine. To show how awful Maxine was to Rachel but deep down inside, she did care for Rachel.
> 
> Now from Rachel, getting situated back to her timeline. Of course, the dread and hopelessness run deep into her. But she is going to try to survive, even if it is a bitter end. Then, she bumps into Kate's counterpart, which was something I really wanted to do. She is very different in this timeline but Rachel is going to feel entranced by her. Unfortunately, she is with a bad crowd. This timeline is definitely a bit darker and grittier. Definitely a threat to Max, Chloe and Rachel. Hopefully you guys find it still interesting. :)
> 
> Anyways, thanks again for keeping up again. Feel free to leave any comments, or drop your thoughts about BTS as well. :)


	34. Out in the Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some VERY heavy themes, so may be triggering for some readers.

#### Rachel Amber

#### Arcadia Bay: CVS Pharmacy Store

#### September 23th, 2016 9:14 PM

The drug store is eerily quiet in the deep brooding evening other than the faint and distant beeping of purchases being scanned at the front of the store. The fluorescent lights hang high above to paint the strained scene with dreariness with the three confronting individuals in the foreground of it all.

A sheet of dazzling electricity radiates from Rachel’s fist. The tendons in her hand pulsating with the opportunity to disintegrate reality if the situation goes awry. Even with the bellowing rage bubbling beneath the clammy skin that hugs her entire body, it seems it can be any time she could succumb to her weakened state.

Corbin scans up at the ceiling, doing a single rotation. There is no one else around them but the security cameras are forcing him to yield his intentions for now, “Babe, let’s go.”

Rachel flinches, taking a bold step toward the girl that took her phone with the still active call from Max. “Kate, give me back my phone.” Even with her threatening voice, she also need to pry Kate away from her boyfriend.

The punk girl glares back at her, jutting her chin, “It’s Katie. Get it fucking right.” She crosses her arms, sneering with her lips and waving the phone in her possession. Her eyes gleam with intensity like the gemstone piercings that riddles across her right ear. “Go ahead and try to take it back from me.” Her blue contacts swivel toward her boyfriend and returning back to the blonde.

Rachel cocks her head, emitting a single crack in her neck. This only aggravates her even more, launching her to snap forward to squeeze the snobby girl’s tank top and wringing it into her fist, “Fine, Katie. You’re going to keep acting tough like this?” Her eyes slide up and down along this girl, lowering to a stifling growl so Corbin cannot hear, “So, you got bullied in school and rebelled against everyone including your family?” She drifts another glance over the defiant appearance, “And, _this_ is what you have become?”

Katie furrows her eyebrows, “Fuck off…” Her seething breaths can be felt, “You don’t know anything about me or what I’ve been through.”

Not deterred by the words, Rachel sees much of the sweet Kate still residing in this person. She isn’t rocking out as much as Chloe’s look. Instead, Katie throws up more make-up and retaining long and slightly wavy hair for a more feminine look.

Rachel knows Katie’s weak spots are of her past that involves her family as that is where she seems to show the most remorse in. Though a different timeline, she grew up from the same setting but making different decisions to sway into a distinct spiraling route. With barely above a whisper, “How do Julie and Lynn feel about this metamorphic change of yours?”

Katie’s eyes flicker, unable to reply with anything at the very moment. Knowing that she is on the defense, this draws Rachel closer as she maintains a quiet and steady voice, “I know you may have your differences with your family but I know deep down inside you love them all very much, especially Lynn.”

The punk’s nose wrinkles to the repeated mention of her family, withering away at her feigned and silent front to reveal a more frayed state.

A scoff follows with approaching footsteps as Corbin rams Rachel off of her feet. The blonde spins her body enough to break the fall but still smashing into the ground and sliding a few inches from the slippery tile flooring. She grunts softly, trying to mask her feeble state and the stinging pain that buries her weak body.

Corbin walks right over Rachel’s body then grabbing his girlfriend’s hand, “Fuck this shit. We need to get going.”

Katie casts a shifty glance at Rachel then back, “Okay, let’s roll.” With a stiff hand, she shoves her boyfriend in the direction he came from in a hurried fashioned to deflect his wandering attention.

Rachel flips her body over to maintain eye contact with the other two. Before leaving out of sight, Katie’s curious eyebrows raise secretly toward Rachel. With a quick and sly hand, she slips Rachel’s phone silently onto the shelves on the aisle, ensuring Rachel can see its location before disappearing away.

With the throbbing pain that forks across her chest and back, her breaths hitch from seeing the kind gesture she was just given. She examines the bandage, making sure it is still secured and the wound isn’t opening up again.

She pushes herself off the ground with her wavering strength. _‘She made sure her asshole of a boyfriend wasn’t watching so she can give back my phone… Kate...’_

The weak girl straightens her body, getting fully back on her legs. She stares at the phone that is tucked securely on the shelves but waiting for a few moments to make sure the other footsteps are fading away. _‘That fucker could be waiting for me outside the store...’_

She steadily approaches her phone, peeking around the aisle to see the other two are already on the far end with the basket of alcohol in their hands. Rachel swipes her phone back, then vanishing out of sight.

The call is still active with Max on it, “Rachel? Rachel, are you there?”

The voice churns a mixture of relief and tension into her rattled bones. “Max…?” 

Her stomach winces, averting her body to the side as if she has taken a hit. 

She had the most physical and emotional fight in her life with this very person. But her mind is muddled with varying thoughts that is tugging her in an infinite amount of different directions. Not even sure on where to start with the maze that is engraved in her mind, she defaults to continuing the earlier conversation, “Seriously… how did you come over to this timeline?”

Max’s voice creaks across the line, “I-I-I...uh…” Her voice crumbles, a sharp contrast between the far more confident Maxine that belongs in this timeline. “I-I’m not really sure. I guess I can also pass through timelines like you can.” She feigns the enthusiasm with her time powers as her mind is also clouded with many different thoughts and emotions. “I really don’t know if I’ve always had this power or maybe my powers are evolving. But I’m glad I do have it.” 

A dry sigh slips between her lips over the line, “I also wanted to see you, Rachel.” Another brief silence emerges on the phone, letting enough time for her stomach to begin churning with butterflies. “I-I-I uh...”

The prolonged stammering lets Rachel sink in her other thoughts. _‘So, she shares that same power with me? Was this what the ‘Other Max’ was saying back in the darkness where it is up to us individually to drag each other out of their own hell? Is Mousey Max... trying to drag me out of my own hell?’_

The blonde leans her whole body against the aisle, still being reminded about the ongoing threat that is looming in her immediate future, “Max… I…” She steadies her breaths, focusing on the situation, “Now, isn’t a good time to talk...”

The other time traveler’s frantic breaths bleed into the call, “Yeah, I get it. Something is going on over there, right?” Her meekish voice remains as calm as it can be, “I heard a guy’s voice and… did I also hear Kate’s?”

“Yeah, it’s her...” Rachel replies with hesitation, yet feeling a slight twinge of solace that someone else in this cursed timeline has this shared information of time powers as she does.

“Oh…” The shock melds with casual disguise from the brunette. “How… is she doing?”

Rachel’s eyes waver in the direction of the angel’s counterpart then back to the repeated tile patterns beneath that her dazed hazel eyes could get lost in. “Well… Remember before I came over to your timeline, I…” Rachel stutters, halting in mid-sentence. 

That discomfort twists back into a threading needle that weaves in and out of her intestines. As bad as it was before, everything just seems to be better before Rachel decided to make that leap of faith across the timelines. Perhaps at the time, a part of her was hoping she could find a sliver of hope. To find a real friend that can help pluck away the thorns that are riddled all over her mind.

The tense resentment and reminder that was swiveling through Rachel’s mind will have to remain buried for now. The emerging threat as well as her compassionate nature coats the distressed girl.

Rachel rolls her eyes, feeling strapped for time. Whether or not she trusts Max doesn’t matter right now, “Before I hopped over to your timeline, I was attacked by _that_ guy. Corbin is his name. The one that shot William and Chloe before I used my powers to undo in this timeline.”

A short breathless moment fills the air before Max finishes collecting her own thoughts, “Yeah, I remembered you told me. Was that him talking earlier?”

“Yes, Kate is with him in this timeline…”

Max puffs out a gasp, “Wait, what? Like… as a couple?” She doesn’t wait for an affirming reply, “How is that possible? I can’t picture Kate being with someone like that...”

“I don’t know...” There isn’t really any more things she could decipher from this counterpart at this point. “I have to go. Max, this is going to be dangerous. I…” She squeezes her eyes close for a moment, “...Later, I’ll help you figure out how to get back to your timeline.”

Her body twitches against her own words, finding herself to be too forgiving as it is. Maybe it is to silence her irritating former best friend, or perhaps she can never find any true malice in her heart to go against this person that she cares about.

Max blows off a soft colorless laugh, “There you at it, again. Always being considerate toward me even when I don’t deserve any of it.”

More and more Rachel listens to Max, she feels herself caving in with her emotions. There is a pink elephant in the room. Neither time travelers want to talk about the devastating fight that they just had. At least not in this very moment. She rubs her forehead with the back of her hand, “I’m sorry. I have to go now.”

Max’s voice is perfectly calm, inquiring to the other time wizard, “I know what you’re planning to do, Rachel. You just met her. I know she meant a lot to you.” She doesn’t even have to mention her name. “She’s incredible. I used all my powers to save her from jumping off that rooftop.” Her voice warms up with concerns, “But Rachel, you don’t have to do this alone. Chloe and I aren’t too far away.”

Rachel hunches her body, pacing around in small circles. “I…” She tilts her head, peeking again at Katie on the other end. “I have to go…” With a strike of desperate determination, she slips the phone back into her pocket but still leaving the call active.

_‘I know this may be foolish but I have to do this. I don’t want to put anyone else in danger for my actions.’_

In the distance, she could hear Corbin shouting, filling the store with awkwardness among his explosive anger, “What do you mean you don’t have her phone anymore? You were _fucking_ holding it!” 

Both of them are at the checkout counter with their basket of alcohol. The store clerk is young and timid, unable to say a single word to pierce the tension. Instead, he alternates strained glances between the arguing couple. With soft footsteps of her sneakers, Rachel creeps up to them but stopping about thirty feet away from them.

Katie straightens her spine. Even with her back to Rachel, her glowering stare can be felt, “I said… _Just_ drop it. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Corbin grabs Katie by her rigid shoulder, jerking it sharply in his clenched fist, “Nah, I’m going to follow that fucker till she bleeds to death. And, don’t you fucking say _what’s wrong with me_. Look at yourself...” He glares back at her, peering up and down her body.

Katie scans the suffocating surroundings of peering eyes, dropping her volume but remaining stern, “You’re making a fucking scene out of something so stupid.”

A dainty old lady who has been observing the entire commotion shuffles with ever so small steps and abysmally slowed pace. She intervenes in the conversation, “Who are you talking about? Who is bleeding?”

Instinctively, Rachel shrinks to the words, holding onto her bandage and continuing to remain incognito. But her head remains firm to hear the lady’s scolding, “Young man, do not talk to your beautiful woman like this.”

A scoff escapes from Corbin’s smirk. Katie, feeling more and more flustered, darts for the front door in a bee-line, letting Corbin finish the purchase. She passes by the aisle and her eyes instantly lock onto Rachel.

The time traveler’s face blanches, ensnaring her feet in place. Her hand fumbles downward to grip the phone in her pocket. 

However, the soft expression from Katie alleviates some of the fear. The punk cranes her head around then back to Rachel, whispering softly, “Call 9-1-1 if you’re feeling lightheaded.” She points at the bandage that wraps the blonde’s wrist tightly.

Rachel bows down her head at the secured dressing, “W-Wait Kate…”

Katie looks over her shoulder at her boyfriend, still at the cashier and engaged in the conversation.

Corbin casts a menacing glance at the feeble old lady, “Go fall over and die, old bitch.” He doesn’t have any more breaths to be wasted as he grabs the receipt and the bagged alcohols. Then, he storms toward his unhelpful girlfriend. “Thanks for being useless like always.” He yanks on Katie’s wrist to drag her to the front of the store. The poor girl winces at the sharp pain but thankfully this distracts Corbin from seeing Rachel in the aisle.

“Why are you doing that to her?” the old lady shouts in a fruitless attempt to stop Corbin. But the couple has already walked out of the sliding door with haste.

Rachel trails behind them with swift pacing and even more fluttering butterflies spiraling in her stomach. She knows what she’s doing is dangerous. Even with her hatred toward Corbin, her weakened state would normally force her to yield in such situation. But seeing Katie joined alongside with the scumbag sends a twisting shard down her throat. It isn’t something she could ever accept in any imaginable timelines.

Just overhearing their conversation, Rachel can sense the poor angel to be cracking under the pressure. Perhaps, the two girls relating to each other in their own struggles have opened up some past wounds in a painful yet cathartic way. 

_‘Maybe I can… tell Katie something. Steer her away from this life… somehow. But first, I have to deal with Corbin...’_

Clenching her right fist with her nails infusing with intensity into the sweaty skin, Rachel marches out the whirring sliding door. The black parking lot is relatively empty and lifeless like when Rachel first arrived in it. No other souls besides the dim moonlit pavement and shafts of orange glazed glow from the bright lights of the store.

Immediately, both Corbin and Katie turn quickly, almost like they were expecting, yet somehow, surprise and disbelief coat both of their faces. Removing any mental hesitation that is chaining her down, Rachel scuttles into a dash for a few steps, then propels her body to spear into Corbin, knocking him cleanly onto the ground. The man shrieks out a gasp as the blundering force robs all the air in his lungs and releasing the bag of alcohol from his fingers.

The enraged time traveler scrambles through the dropped bag, pulling out a large handle of Jameson. Flipping it to hold onto the neck portion of the bottle, she winds back and swings the bottle across the air, slashing against the temple of Corbin. The bottle doesn’t shatter from the impact but a loud clunk rattles through Corbin’s skull and freezing his dull eyes as the light gets plucked out of him. His forehead swells up to decaying ruby color with a trickle of blood forking down to collect at his eyebrows. 

Rachel’s heated breaths wedge between her teeth with ferocity, “Do you remember the fucking beating I gave you?” A clanking of the bottles rings close to her ears, forcing her to pry her burning eyes away from Corbin.

Katie is standing tall right next to her with her long black boots pressing against the bag of alcohol. The blonde time traveler’s pupils constrict, her frozen tongue douses the seething heat in her throat. A coat of uncertainty paralyzes her body as she wonders if Katie is going to attack her to defend Corbin.

In the moment of confusion, Corbin shoves Rachel from underneath, sending her to tumble back to land and crash her kneecaps onto the pavement. The bottle of whiskey slips away from her grasp, rolling into the line of bushes. Before the enraged man can follow up, Katie grabs him from behind, restraining him.

Corbin plows through the strong grip against him but still taken adrift by it, “Seriously, what the fuck is going on with you?! I’m going to punch your fucking ugly face...” He thrashes sharply, dragging Katie like a ragdoll and elbowing her right in the jaws. Her body lolls down to the ground, catching her lower lip which her own teeth just cut into.

Not at all fazed on what he did to his girlfriend, he turns his fuming attention back to Rachel and careens her backward, launching her body to crash into the large brick walls of the store’s exterior. Before her body can recoil fully, Corbin connects with his right fist directly into her face.

Then another… then another… and more... Rachel can hear the tendon in her loose neck tearing as it wedges tightly against her strained flesh from the colossal force. The rest of her body remains dull and stubborn. Each punch casts a streak of violet light that slashes across Rachel’s vision. The rest of it is so dark and dim that she doesn’t even know if her eyes are opened or closed.

All the sounds seem muffled like she is drowning in a dark sea that burns her skin with stinging intensity. The beating has stopped as she can distinctly hear Katie’s voice shouting. The words aren’t clear but the tone is enough to determine that the angel has drawn the attention of Corbin to halt the assault.

Her body finally gives in its obstinacy, letting it collapse. The pulsating pain coats her dull face like a thick mask. But her ears twitch to a voice in her head. 

_“Rachel…”_ Max’s voice calls to her from the depths of the abyss. Not even sure if it is a ghost, a past memory, or even a slight tweak across the hellish timelines that are calling to her. Whichever it is real or not, it imbues confidence in the chaotic mind of the lone time traveler.

Her body twitches back to reality as blades of pain and blood lace across her face. The sharp metallic smell of her nose drips down to the concrete floor, forming scattered patterns like red paint dripping onto an artist’s canvas.

It is a repulsive yet familiar sight of her strength leaking away from her body. A faint second wind has been instilled into the hollowness of her shell, finding herself conscious in the front of the store. She’s not sure how much time has even elapsed. Could be seconds or even a minute.

Corbin’s snarling voice trickles back into cold existence, “Get off of me.” His voice snaps sharply, “You know what? This slut stomped on my balls. It’s fucking payback time.” He recalls the savage and humiliating beating Rachel gave him earlier. And he is more than happy to return the favor and then some extra more.

He tips his shoes, brushing against the downed girl’s upper thighs, spreading them apart. He stands there quietly, admiring the beauty he created with Rachel. A twitch in his pants rouses him with conflicting thoughts. Or, at least in what order he wants to do the actions in his mind.

The brooding presence of him towering above her drags out unforgettable memories Rachel had with this man. In one of the past timelines, he stabbed her repeatedly then mounted on top of her to dig his fingers inside of her. The energy to survive is trickling back into her body but not quickly enough to defend herself from this man.

Suddenly, a burst of oxygen seemingly fills into her lungs as Katie knocks Corbin’s leg off from her body. 

“Get off of her,” Katie exclaims at him, wedging her firm body as much as possible between her boyfriend and the fallen girl.

Rachel spins her body away, shielding herself to resume her desperate breathing. 

“Really? You said you wanted to get back at the bitch that did _that_ to me.” Corbin’s eyebrows lower in absolute disgust. “So now, I can’t get some fucking payback?” He steps in close, squeezing Katie’s cheekbones.

She quickly deflects his hand away, “Knowing you, you probably deserved it.” Her drained face turns to the downed girl for a moment, then rolling her eyes back.

Corbin constricts his body, tensing his fists and shadowing over her, “What did you fucking say?” He shoves Katie back, throwing the small body to be pinned up against the wall of the store. “My body is still fucking aching from her trying to kill me with her car. And, you think I deserved that? How fucked up are you?”

Katie gazes back deeply, remaining focused, “Not nearly as fucked up as the shit you do. I know that for sure.”

He laughs at the shallow and petty insult, “Woah, you think you’re really that much better?” Corbin cocks his head, “What about that same night when you were slutting around at the party thrown by that sissy boy Prescott? And you tried to slip some roofie into his sister’s drink?”

Katie lets out a scoff with her spine bending like she’s trying to hush him, “I…” She rubs the back of her neck, “I told you I regretted it and tried to dump the drink.”

Corbin presses his lips thin in a snarky manner, “Yeah right… Too bad one of Nathan’s dumb bitches downed the drink already. I’m sure that slut enjoyed getting tossed around on everyone’s laps, taking turns to have her pussy rubbed by each one.”

“Fuck no! That didn’t happen.” Katie squints, sucking her cheeks in, “I watched over her and made sure none of that happened.”

Corbin snorts, “If the Prescott found out it was you that did that... They’re going to put your head on a stake in the harbor. In fact…” He pops the collar on his jacket up, “...they’re still suspicious about it.” He sneers at his girlfriend, knowing he has the advantage now, “Still, you said that person wander off from that party and you don’t know what happened to her.”

Through all the pain, Rachel’s ear wiggles at the conversation. _‘Maxine was drugged at Nathan’s party. Chloe and William found her wandering aimlessly in Downtown.’_

Katie remains trapped as her boyfriend continues, “I had to bring some loser bitch to a photo shoot that night. And of course, you had to do something fucking stupid, especially with the Prescotts.”

Rachel blinks her eyes, thinking about Dana who is a very good friend to Chloe in this timeline who fell under the radar. Corbin was transporting her around to various photographers that she had to do to pay off her bills. _‘I doubt Corbin was just being nice to Dana. Him and whoever he is working for is using Dana to make money… And, probably never ever going to let Dana go. They’re gonna keep using her body as long it makes a profit.’_

The blonde time traveler tips her stinging and bloodied face up in the air toward the abyss with a myriad of twinkling stars. Her hazel eyes drown in them, reminding herself that she sometimes visualize the stars being lighthouses in other timelines. Each of the lighthouses is glimmering in specific patterns to send a message or warning to the other timelines about certain events.

_‘Dana… are you okay right now?’_

Corbin rambles on, “Yeah, you’re a hypocrite. You tried to have your revenge with that sissy boy that fucked you over in high school. Which I still don’t fucking believe, by the way.” He puffs out a sharp heated laughter, “I think your true slutty nature wanted to come out at Blackwell. As much of a prick he is, I don’t think Nathan would drug an ugly whore like you.”

Katie slides her body to the side, gaining some space, “Fuck you. You don’t know what hell I’ve been through.”

Corbin snaps back sharply, “Yeah yeah. You tried to take your own life. Boring teenage angsty shit. ‘Stay tuned for next episode of Dr. Phil’s show for Katie’s shitty life’. What else is fucking new?”

Katie’s head drapes with her eyebrows furrowed down to the concrete. A despondent look paints across her face with a feeling of utmost regret.

Rachel blinks slowly, gazing at her angel and letting out a sigh. _‘Sometimes, our emotions get the best out of us. Our inner demons spill out enough to build a vessel of remorse so we can ride in it until we’re dead.’_ She looks at her own hand, which is spotted with blood that has been dripping from her nose. Her eyes get lost like she is gazing through her skin to see the true tormented soul that lies within her. 

_‘We are all fucked up, aren’t we? It is just matter of which side we’re on so we can justify the truth in our head.’_

“Honey, come over and get behind me.” A keen but familiar voice enters into the conversation. It is the old lady from back inside the store. Even with her hunched posture, her body is reaming with boldness. She steps in front of Katie and then she cranes toward Rachel, who is lying quietly on the ground. “Young lady, are you okay?” She turns to Katie, hoping to get an answer, “Is she okay?”

Rachel shrugs her body to the side, trying to hide her bloodied face as well as showing some signs of life to help douse the concerns from the old lady so she would stay out of this.

Katie gulps her throat, “Uh…” Her eyes dart at the girl on the ground, showing hesitation on what to do next to defuse the situation.

Corbin leans his face in, “Get the fuck out of my face.” He steals the attention away from Rachel but resulting in another confrontation.

_‘For once, I agree with that asshole. She shouldn’t be near us. This is very bad.’_

The old lady reaches to grip his hand, trying to enforce some control over him but Corbin quickly shrugs it off. Still, not at all fazed by the force, she looks deeply into his eyes, “I’m not scared of you. I’ve dealt with punks like you before.” She turns to the angel, “Dear, there’s no way someone as sweet as you would be with a terrible person like _him_.”

Katie blinks rapidly but unable to muster any courage to steady her gaze back.

A smug smile emerges on Corbin’s face, “This whore will be apologizing for what she did tonight…” He waves his hand toward his jeans in a slant, “...by being down on her knees to suck on my cock.” He lets out a hysterical laughter in the tense air of the cold night then turning toward Rachel, “...alongside with this other bitch.” His footsteps approach close to the downed girl to admire on his prized victory. “I fucked her up real bad.”

Rachel opens her shuddering eyes which are tucked away behind her frayed and ruffled long blonde hair. She uses much of her strength to claw against the concrete as she’s still rooted by the thrumming pain.

The old lady looks down to Rachel, who she cannot reach to easily because of Corbin standing in the way. She scolds him, “How dare you attack a woman like that...” 

Katie bites her lower lip, hanging her eyes but still finally joining in, “Corbin, you think you’re tough but you’re actually pussy shit.”

Corbin pumps his chest, clenching both of his fists to send his own statement. He tips his nose up and stares down at the girl, “Really, huh?”

The stranger speaks in, again trying to squeeze between them, “Dear, go back into the store.” She gently pushes Katie with a single hand, turning around to face her. “You’re Kate Marsh, right? I knew I recognized your beautiful voice.”

The words seem almost condescending since it contradicts so sharply with her physical appearance. Katie stammers, “U-uh… you know me?”

The lady nods her head, a grin forming with the streaks of wrinkle that are littered across her face, “Your church helped raise money for my granddaughter’s treatments.” Her bold front has subsided drastically. Even a hint of sorrow has weaved into the previous sternness of her voice. “Sweet little Lynn Marsh was such good friends to my dear Audrey. And also, you sang for her in the hospital.”

Hearing both of those names ignites a chill deep within Katie. “Audrey…? Gosh…” She flutters her eyelashes, examining closer at the lady, “I’m so sorry. I forgot your last name but…” She squeezes her eyes close then opening one of them, “Sadie, right?”

“Yes, it is. I think I only introduced you with my first name, anyway.” Sadie nods but then tapering off, “You can just call me that. There’s no need for formalities.”

Still, a burdening amount of weight attaches to Katie’s shoulders, trying to bury her down with the earth. “But… it didn’t help… in the end… She’s...” Her voice drifts away along with her eyes.

Sadie extends out her frail arm that is spotted with veins protruding out of the crinkles of her skin. “Kate, you made her very happy all the way to the end. She’s no longer suffering and is now in heaven with her mother.” She casts a reaffirming nod, “That’s more than I could ever ask for my dear, Audrey.”

A throbbing shockwave crunches through Rachel’s skull, unable to keep looking at both Katie’s and Sadie’s face. _‘Audrey… Jefferson’s daughter? So, she’s already dead in this timeline? This old lady is Audrey’s grandmother?’_

Her head crumbles, recalling back with her limited interactions with Mark Jefferson and his daughter in the other timeline. She stopped to visit Audrey’s bedroom upstairs, where the little girl was playing games and offered Rachel to play _Mario Kart._

 _‘Now, I feel bad I didn’t play video games with her. She seems so lonely. I remember Jefferson mentioned that Audrey’s mother took her own life when we were having dinner at his place. I always felt something fishy was going on.’_

She tilts her head looking at the crushing sorrow that is gnawing away at Sadie. _‘I can see Sadie suffered greatly with the loss of her daughter and Audrey.’_

Rachel blinks her swollen eyes, shedding a tear that isn’t formed from the splitting pain but from the gloom that has spawned within her. The slow rhythmic beeping sound of a machine blares into the darkest corridors inside Rachel’s mind. The reminder of the vision of her own mother being hospitalized and will soon meet her eventual death.

Her fingers trail toward the phone in her pocket. A part of her wants to make that dreadful phone call to her mother but she knows this isn’t the time yet.

Corbin smirks, abruptly shifting the mood with his twisted grin. He has no interest in the story, “Yawn. Katie ditched all that bullshit _Jesus_ stuff. She said it was meaningless and got her nowhere in life.” His raucous voice cackles, “Now, she just embraces her true color. Which is a slut. That’s how fucked up she really is. She’s tainted as shit. She always will be.” He pats his hand right onto the curves on his property’s face, mocking her.

Sadie uses all of her feeble force to pry Corbin’s fingers away from Katie, reverting back to her stern voice. “Who do you think you are to treat her like this? To call her these names?”

Corbin snorts incredulously, “She’s no princess or anything. I saw her video on YouTube and-”

Katie stomps her boot into the ground and snarls to interrupt him, “Don’t bring that up.” 

“Why not?” Corbin taps the unamused girl, “It’s fucking hilarious.”

“No…” Katie shoves back, launching him a few steps back, “It wasn’t funny at all.”

He brings up both of his hands, feigning any genuine sympathy, “Chill, alright?” 

Sadie immediately knows about the video, defending Katie, “She was drugged. Everyone knew that.”

Katie shrugs her shoulders, “Many people knew I was drugged. But as long it wasn’t them in the video, they can still laugh about it.”

Sadie nods solemnly, “Yes, people can be very cruel.”

“Yes, they can be. So…” Katie twirls her hand to throw a middle finger up in the air, “...this is what I say to them. To all those people at Blackwell, both the students and faculty that turned their back on me. Fuck them all…” She wets her lips, “For years I’ve done community services, raised money, helped the sick, fed the homeless…” She expels a heated breath rolling from her burning throat, “I’ve done everything they asked for and _this_ is how they pay me back?”

Again, there’s nothing for Sadie to do. There isn’t anything she can say to change the past or how people are. “I would be angry, too. I would feel the same way.” She tugs on her own hand, “When I heard you disappeared and ran away from home, I feared for the worst.”

Katie rocks her head, waving at her entire body, “I’m still alive and happier.”

Sadie’s eyebrows slant, “Are you really _happier_?”

Corbin crosses his arms to answer for Katie, “Of course, she’s happier. She ran away from home and she needs someone.” He runs his hand down along Katie’s back. “I’ll gladly take her along for the ride as long she’s giving me pussy each night.”

With a stiff forearm, Katie shrugs Corbin away.

Sadie continues over the rude remarks, “Kate, I’m very happy to see you’re… okay. But are you really happy? Or, are you still in denial?”

Katie sways her head, rolling her eyes, “Why would I be in denial? I’m not denying anything. People are fucked up. And, that’s all to it.”

Sadie waves both of her hands, “I didn’t mean it like that.” She settles them back down to her sides, “You can go back home. I know your family misses you and willing to take you back.” She squares her slender shoulders, “If not, I can provide you with a place to live.”

“Uh…” Katie leans her body forward, slowly trying to gain a few breathy inches from her boyfriend. It is almost like she has relapsed back to her vulnerable counterpart from all the abuses she has suffered. Maybe a part of her always wanted to believe that she was getting stronger but in reality, she always been the same person in her entire life. Even though Sadie had some very warm words for her, it has further deteriorated her mental state.

“Please consider it...”

Corbin pushes Katie aside with his body, getting in front of Sadie’s face, “Listen grandbitch, be careful or you might trip.” He presses his unyielding body against the old lady, almost causing her to topple backward. “You don’t want to crack your skull, right? Or you may join your granddaughter...”

Sadie clutches her chest but remaining strong with her gaze, “Like I said before, I’m not afraid of you.”

Katie meanders around to gently pull Sadie toward the blazing golden glow that gleams through the windows. She remains silent but her eyes entrances dearly on her.

Sadie continues with a gentle voice, “Katie, I know you probably don’t like being lectured or listening pieces of advice from old people like me.” 

Katie fidgets, swaying her head to the side to disagree, “No, you don’t look at me with disgust like many other people do.”

The grandmother beams back, “You would think someone as old as I am would plateau in learning. I have come a long way, learning a lot from my daughter.” She flutters her eyes to the side, no longer jesting, “Both she and I had our difference. I admit we were both very stubborn in our own ways. But I never knew how much pain she was going through.” She grasps at her chest, “Then one day, she took her own life.”

She leaves it at a pause. That last sentence has robbed all of the air in her lungs. Katie wilts down, giving a slight mournful nod like she is already aware of it but still being taken down by it.

Sadie pinches her shoulders in a half shrug, “I know you don’t get many second chances in life… but it just hurt that I could never tell my daughter that I always loved her.” Her eyes are beginning to well up, struggling to speak through the lump in her throat, “Taking care of Audrey was the only thing I could redeem myself with. Now, they are both gone.” She tilts her head, nodding toward the quiet girl, “Life goes by faster than you think, Kate. Don’t get left behind by it.”

Slivers of frost embalm into Katie’s spine, winding around to constrict her throat, “I-I know…”

“Get left behind?” Corbin breaks the moment with his coyish smile, “Nah, Katie isn’t getting left behind. Except by me, when I’m done with her useless ass.” His eyebrows waggle with pride, feeling he can control whoever he wants. He switches back to attack Sadie, “I guess your daughter just _had it_ with you, huh?”

The grandmother’s nostrils flare, finally the words are penetrating to her formidable spirit. “Don’t you speak of my daughter like that. You’re going to jail for abusing both of these ladies. And Kate is going to be safe away from you.”

The mischievous smile disappears from Corbin, twisting his face with a pulsating glare. “I think I just about had it with you...” The tendon on the back of his neck stands up, expanding through his skin. “...Both of you.” With the palm of his hand, he slaps Katie across her cheek, spreading millions of burning needles across her swollen skin. Katie cowers instantly, pressing against it to comb the strands of flame on her face. 

Sadie reaches out and catches her body, “Kate!”

Corbin now directs his attention on the nuisance in front of him by erupting all of his anger onto her. He slams his fist down onto Sadie with all of his might and rage. Her body doesn’t resist the immense force, collapsing and flopping back to crash the back of her skull squarely into the asphalt. The frail old figure twitches, letting a few jolts of electricity to run through her cold body before settling down. Her pale lips gap open but no pain of agony flows through it. Her wide and deathly stare matches with the rest of her body.

Katie’s shoulders shrink at the repulsive sight. Before the shock could blanket into her body, she directs her sullen glower at Corbin. “Fuck!” Even with all the pain that seems to scorched off the skin on her cheeks, she shoots her shoulder right into the ribcage of Corbin. He explodes out a blast of air from the impact but able to feign a pitiful chuckle.

A seething amount of frustration and rage punches through Katie’s heart. The recurring reminder of hopelessness floods into her. She arms herself with her pocket knife and directs it toward him, “Fuck you! I’m going to kill you, asshole.”

Corbin deflects at the petty attempt, taking a step back and drawing both of his hands up. “Woah, relax. It was self-defense, she was pushing me.” He tips his nose at the body on the ground, “I think she’s dead. So, no fucking witness. Besides, no one is going to know that she is missing from her retirement home.”

Katie twists her head toward the glowing lights of the store. While it looks lively from the outside, there are no other souls to witness in the parking lot. She knows she has to take care of this herself. Her rosy face and piercing eyes are kindling with hatred. The tendons on her arm twitch with instinctual urges to shove the small knife into him. It is only a matter of when.

Before Katie could finish contemplating, Rachel approaches Corbin from behind, pounding her forearm with all of her power against his crotch. Instantly, he drops down to his knees like a sack of stones, grabbing at the impact.

A gasp screeches out of Corbin, wincing in unspeakable pain through the grinding of his teeth. Another reminder of the devastating pain that Rachel previously inflicted on him in their last encounter.

The enraged time traveler doesn’t wait for any more satisfying squeals from him to soothe herself. She yanks his head back, rattling the strands of flesh inside of his neck. With her other hand, she gouges his eyes. She can feel the fleshiness of it pressing against her uneven, poorly maintained nails. Very slowly, her nails become easier to scrape as it is being lubricated with his blood. 

For a peaceful moment, she doesn’t hear any scream or sound in the world. The unfathomable amount of anger seems to coated her entire body almost like she is in that anomaly between the timelines. His body squirms, flailing his loose and desperate arms to fend against Rachel’s face and body, but it doesn’t faze her at all.

**__** _‘Fuck Jefferson… Fuck Corbin… You don’t deserve anything but death. In every timeline, both of you need to get burned and buried by me.’_

Rachel launches Corbin’s head down with thunderous force. A crack can be heard from his neck with his body recoiling and bending back awkwardly before impacting against the ground.

He continues to scream in writhing pain, providing knowledge that he isn’t dead. But he wishes he is. With a rhythmic hop, Rachel aims her feet to plant squarely on his temple. Again… and again, each time with more confidence and force into it.

The screaming remains to be music to Rachel’s ears for a bit longer with each repeated stomp. Yet, it doesn’t quench her anger. She swipes the pocket knife from Katie then kneeling down hovering above Corbin’s head.

She presses the knife against Corbin’s face, with his cheek pressing back desperately to repel the blade. He whimpers, puffing out palpitating and anxious breaths. It is a small knife and it isn’t too sharp. But Rachel can find a way to lodge the entirety of it into the cavity of his skull.

Katie’s gentle voice intrudes over the shattering screams, “Stop…”

Her eyes are already welling up with some of her eye makeup becoming runny. Seeing her in this fragile state reminds her of the suffering that this angel has suffered in the other timelines. Like how she walked up to that Blackwell Academy rooftop to decide to take her own life. Even if Rachel wasn’t there to witness it herself, she can still sense those internal demons are grasping at her. 

Rachel slides the knife away, letting Corbin expels a momentarily sigh of relief as his head crumples down with almost paralyzation from the beating. With a soft voice that is returning from madness, Rachel mutters, “Alright.” She collapses the pocket knife, standing back on her feet.

Katie reaches out with both arms, squeezing tightly around Rachel’s body. The time traveler couldn’t help but being taken surprise by it. The angel whispers to her, “Are you okay?”

Rachel nods softly, pressing her fatigue face into Katie’s cheeks. “I’m okay.” A nonchalant tone is the best she can muster in this warm moment.

Katie also nods, sniffing her nose. She lets go of the hug but still locking arms for a moment to exchange eye contact. Both of the girls’ eyes are reddened and swollen with pain and melancholy. Quickly, Katie’s attention shifts to the fallen lady, forcing her to release her grasp with Rachel. She kneels right beside her, shifting her flighty and shaky hands to glide across Sadie’s body to examine her.

There is a growing crimson puddle that is collecting beneath Sadie’s head. Her eyes are wide and unfocused, staring off into the abyssal heaven. It almost seems like they are fluttering with a lingering life force that is slowly fading away. Perhaps, something she yearns for or is still concerned about. That she wishes for Katie to be safe and well.

Katie’s breathing quickens as she continues to deny it that this person that cared about her is dead right in her hands. She grips tighter, almost hoping she could imbue some life back into this person. “Please… don’t…” Her voice cracks with sorrow and fragility.

Rachel crosses her arms, looking at her right palm. She clenches it into a ball, springing a faint red glow that she could destroy this reality to make a new one. For this special person. The hazel eyes drift back down at Corbin who is still wincing in agony with his hands covering his face that is plastered with a torrent amount of blood.

_‘If I don’t use my powers, Katie won’t be with this asshole once he is arrested. But Sadie...’_

Katie’s crying is almost becoming into laughter that is spilling with madness. She’s hyperventilating and on the verge of being unhinged, “I’ve fallen so far...” Her wide eyes blaze to the pile of blood on the concrete, “I shouldn’t even be… _here_.”

The sound of frantic tires squeals as it pops up the parking lot with uneven balance. Its bright lights hone onto the group, drawing Rachel’s attention to the blinding rays of the vehicle.

It is Chloe’s truck. It slams on its brakes, screeching to a complete stop and emitting an explosive amount of white smoke that twists against the ebony concrete floor. 

Chloe jumps out of the driver’s seat with urgency but stopping on her landing, “Rachel, are you okay?” Her compassion nature is quickly visible, approaching the other blonde. She notices Corbin right beside her, “You took him down...”

Rachel’s heart is pounding hard against her chest. She looks over her shoulder, seeing Katie is still preoccupied with Sadie’s body. Giving her some space, Rachel turns back to the other blonde with a slight nod.

Chloe narrows her eyes, shutting the car door with her hips without peeling away her eye contact, “Woah, Rachel… you…” She hisses, almost like she could feel the pain of the time traveler. There’s a sanguine fork expanding out of Rachel’s nose to smear over her crimson lips. Chloe shakes her head, “Shit… you put up quite the fight.” She scuttles to close the distance, “He is taken down for good, right?” Chloe lengthens her tall body, preparing to join in the fight, if necessary.

“Yeah, he is…” Rachel shuts her eyes, finally letting the glacial breath to sweep against her bloodied face to soothe it. _‘I really feel like shit right now but it is nice to see Chloe again.’_

Chloe puffs out a sigh of relief but returning to a cringe expression. She loosens the arms on her hoodie jacket then squeezes Rachel’s nose with its sleeves. “Here, you’re still bleeding.”

Rachel tilts her head back, letting the other blonde applies pressure against her nose, “Thanks, Chloe.” She mumbles through the clothing, allowing this beautiful and gentler counterpart of the punk aid her.

Chloe wrinkles her nose, “I-I uh…I’m sorry, Rachel.” Even though she is nerdier in this timeline, she retains much of the bold personality.

“No…” Rachel sniffs against the ample pressure against her nose, “I was the one that threatened to take William away and attacked you.” Her head sails down turning even more ashen color from remembering that night that she stormed out of the hospital to reset the timeline but it would cause William’s life. Chloe made an attempt to thwart Rachel’s attempt but resulted in Chloe getting injured.

_‘Fuck, I was so stupid. Maybe at the time, I would do anything to keep Maxine with me. But this is before I knew we were destined to break apart from each other. Or at least, before I accepted that fact.’_

Out of the contour of the truck’s headlights, a girl with long wavy brunette hair peeks out cautiously, who has been eavesdropping the entire conversation, “Rachel, I’m glad you’re okay.” It’s Max. Or at least, she’s in control of her best friend’s body. The beautiful and normally outspoken Maxine has on a sympathetic and even vulnerable face. A twisted blend between the two Maxes that she knows from two different timelines. Rachel is not even certain who she rather confront at this very moment. She reveals her head more, suddenly her blue eyes grow, “Oh my dog, you do look really bad.” Max hobbles closer, stopping only a foot in front of her.

_‘Ugh… fuck… speak of the devil.’_

“I’ve been in worse state.” Rachel puffs up her swollen cheeks. 

_‘Damn… I want to talk to Maxine instead…’_

Max’s eyebrows arch then lower, shrinking her body. “Rachel…” She presses both of her hands together like she is ready to beg for forgiveness. She squints her eyes, closing them, “If you want to hit me some more…” She presses her lips thin in a frown to brace for impact.

Not much strength is left in Rachel’s body even if she wants to use this punching bag. She scans Max up and down with a wavering voice, “W...why…?” Even after the triumphant victory over Corbin, she has already regressed back with a new twinge of tension. Her stomach churns and not much coherent words flow to her tongue. Her neck goes partially limp, dangling her head down, “Why are you even here? Just so you can do _this_?”

The freckled girl peeks with one of her eyes, “No… I actually wanted to talk to you.” She bows her head, locking onto the bandage that wraps Rachel’s left wrist. Her eyebrows crease, tracing her index finger delicately on the wrapping. “I-I… caused this.”

Rachel’s eyes drown to the touch, almost getting lost in it, “No, I did this to myself.” She recoils back, pulling her arm away, “You’re not from this timeline. You didn’t do anything that would cause _this_.”

Max’s hand that was touching Rachel’s wrist is left frozen in the air as she takes the time to accept the bitter truth of her worth in this timeline.

 _‘I have no idea how she came over here. But this is still meaningless…’_ A sharp exhale jets out of Rachel’s lungs. _‘...Why am I wasting any more breaths on this person? She is going to just forget about me anyway. I need to talk to Maxine, who is someone that is going to stick in this timeline.’_

Rachel fills in the blank with the mute time traveler, “Well, I’m here.” She snorts but remaining as cordial as she can. “Well… what do you want to talk about?”

Max squirms her skinny body, expressing the shyness and meekness of her true personality, “I… I don’t know.” She stutters, “I know it no excuses. I just… have trouble saying this.” She rolls her eyes, “Like any of it...”

Chloe places her hand on the smaller girl’s shoulder, instilling some confidence into her. “Take it easy. Tell her what you told me.” Despite the solemn tone, this Chloe radiates with warmth and sincerity that lifts up the spirits of the other two girls.

Max’s face blooms with many racing thoughts. Even with the sweet encouragement from the counterpart of her best friend, nothing inspiring lands on her tongue. “I’m just… uh… I’m sorry…” A stammering awkward apology is all she can muster.

Chloe looks mildly disappointed but understanding of the lackluster response from Max. She joins in, adding to remove the silence, “Umm, she told me some things on our way over here.” The blonde shrugs her shoulders, “I don’t think it is everything… but enough to make my eyeballs spin like in the cartoons. Good thing, I didn’t get into an accident.”

Rachel presses her lips tightly, swallowing to clear the hitch in her throat, “Like… about the time travel powers and multiple timelines?”

Chloe grimaces, “Shit…” Her body flinches like a part of her wants to deny something this crazy can happen. “Yeah… about _that_.”

Rachel chuckles dryly, “You don’t believe it, huh?”

Chloe drapes her head down, partially in defeat, “I… I don’t think… Maxine would play such trick on me. Neither would you. I also noticed her… erm… Max, I guess… was so different all of the sudden, too.” Her blue eyes connect with Rachel, lifting an index finger up, “I also remembered the talk we had back at the hospital.”

Rachel sighs, nodding lightly, “It’s… a lot to digest. I expect you to continue being skeptical about it… Even I am sometimes...”

Chloe tiptoes her tall body, “Well, I’m still standing.” She hops on alternating feet, looking down at them, “...Somehow…” She twists her sneakers, rubbing against grains of sand onto the concrete, “We need to have a moment to sit down and talk about everything, okay?”

“Yeah, I guess…” Rachel rocks her head, returning her focus to the other time traveler. “We also need to get _you_ back to your timeline.”

Max senses the growing distance between her and Rachel. Maybe there isn’t going to be any genuine resolution that Max set out to do in this timeline. “Uhh.. o...okay…” She looks at the fallen bodies on the ground. It draws many questions and concerns to the brunette but she cannot help but continue to fumble with her words, resuming her attention back to Rachel. “I… probably not deserving of the name, Mousey Max. I’m sure there are other more _fitting_ nicknames for me now.” Her head spiral downward, “Like… Scumbag Bitch Max.”

“Mmm…” Rachel presses her lips tightly, tilting her head to the side to ponder.

Max wraps her arms behind her back, “Why do you call me Mousey Max anyway? Because I’m younger than you?” 

A smile finally cracks into the exhausted lips of Rachel. “I’m not even sure. Maybe...” She rubs the back of her head, turning to Max. Her eyes glimmer, as an arctic blast plasters against her spine.

The scene flickers dimming around her like she has fallen in a tidal abyss with only her best friend right beside her. Max’s outfit coruscates to her pajamas with Mickey Mouse logos all over that are enveloped with a crest of blood. 

Rachel’s heart freezes as a bellowing blizzard roars into her skull. _‘This is Blackwell Academy where Max took her own life.’_ She drums her head with her own fist, trying to break out the spell of this illusion. The aroma of Max’s blood claws itself up Rachel’s nostrils. _‘It is real. Time powers do not wipe out this truth. I’ll always remember this.’_

Rachel flickers her eyes rapidly, rewetting as much as she can to dissipate the vision that veils her eyes. “Uh…” The scene slowly displaces itself back, calming down to revert back to reality. But the smell of blood is still there. A trickle of fresh blood flows from Max’s nose.

 _‘Why is she bleeding? She didn’t use her powers or see anything… At least she shouldn’t have.’_ Her pupils constrict, suddenly everything seems to have become gravely quiet. _‘Is she somehow… subconsciously feeling what I feel?’_ She shuffles closer toward the brunette, “Max…?”

“Mm…” The other time traveler sniffs her nose then brushing it with the back of her hand to smear away the blood. “I’m fine.” Her eyebrows arch, “You looked like you saw a ghost. Did you have a vision?”

Rachel shakes her head to deny any evidence of the existence of that illusion to protect Max from the truth. She breathes in the cold autumn air to revitalize her soul, moving even closer to Max as the presence of this girl offers a much needed sense of comfort. “Nothing at all.” 

Max widens her eyes, “There is something wrong.” Her head bows down, focusing on this newly formed connection that Rachel inadvertently gave by squeezing and joining Max’s hands. The first touch between the two time travelers after the colossal fight is a gentle one. “Rachel, you’re… scared of something.”

Rachel also realizes that she is holding Max’s hands, quickly releases it to brush it off, “No, it’s really is nothing.” She cranes her head, looking for an excuse for a distraction. “First, we have to handle this.”

_‘So much fucking things going on at the same time. I don’t want to let Max know what I know about us together.’_

The sliding door opens, shooting out more lively life into this deathly scene with a couple of people including store employees running out, “Is someone hurt?”

“Ah shit…” Chloe murmurs as the other girls divert their attention to the newly arrived group.

They instantly lock onto Sadie on the ground and rushes toward her. One of them notices Corbin is also on the ground, pointing at him, “Is he okay?” 

Katie snarls through her pressed lips, “Fuck him… He did all of this.”

Corbin stirs with straining signs of life but enough for his chest to hitch out a spurt of blood that has collected in his throat, “You’re pinning this on me?” He coughs out more blood to join his bloodied eyes, “Fuck you bitch. I’m going to find your sisters and really fuck them up.”

This sparks a sweeping intensity spiraling up into the punk’s body. Her body jerks sharply, slamming her boot onto his chest. “You’re going to fucking die, you piece of shit!” She digs her boot again into his ribcage, feeling the exasperated gust expelling from Corbin’s lungs.

Rachel races over, grabbing her from behind, “Katie, this isn’t you.” She yanks her back, with the broken girl turning around to acknowledge who is pulling her away. Rachel continues, “Stop it. Believe me, I want to do it even more than you do.” She points at Sadie’s body, “It isn’t going to solve anything.”

Katie glares at him once more then returning to the dead old lady. Her eyes lower, feeling the guilt that imbues into her bones that she is responsible for all of this. All the newly joined concerned people from the store stands over, still trying to resuscitate the old lady.

“Is she breathing…?” asks one of the store associate as they try their best to examine Sadie amidst the darkness.

More and more the frosty air sweeps against Katie’s sweaty skin, slowly becoming unbearable. Feeling everything pinching her in, she takes a step back. Hearing the hopeless words that are being passed around among the people continues to reverberate into her bones and soul. 

Among the shoutings and commotions, her meek and soft voice somehow stands out to be honed on, “I’m so sorry.” She takes a step back, wading away from the crowd. Her head drifts for one last look at the woman that tried to help her before storming away from the crowd into the blackness. As she's pacing away with frantic speed, her body is slumped as she can finally release her sorrow out of sight from everyone else.

“Katie!” Rachel shouts at the figure that is sprinting away from them. She brushes her own face to smell for any fresh dangling blood on it. Her head is light and heavy with exhaustion. Her eyes are blurry, freezing herself for a moment. She waves her right hand over her face to try and orient herself.

A thunderous howl courses through her veins, sharpening her vision again. Her fingers twitch, aching to the resonating powers within them. _‘My powers… Maybe I can...’_ Suddenly, that hand gets squeezed, causing her to flinch instantly. 

It is Max’s hand, joining with hers. Her blue eyes flicker with distress, “You’re hurt, Rachel.” She locks onto the bandage that wraps Rachel’s left wrist then back to the hazel eyes. She gazes deep into them, then without any words, she removes her touch, politely giving a little more space. She shrugs her shoulder in the direction of Katie.

Rachel stares back, lowering her eyes. She feels the heat slowly fading away from her face so she can feel her own clammy skin. Without any more words, she darts toward the darkness, letting the blanket of shadow spears into her from above.

Chloe huddles over to the small crowd, “Is she… breathing?” In the corner of her eyes, she catches a glimpse of Rachel running away.

“I’m not sure,” calls one of the people without giving any eye contact. “Where is that girl going? Can you check up on her?”

The blonde stiffens back her spine, “Yeah… we’re going to check up on her.”

Corbin wiggles his body, “That bitch is going to go kill herself. I hope she is successful this time. She is just a hot mess starting with that video that was uploaded on the internet.”

Chloe whisks her body with an incredulous stare, “Wait… is that girl, Kate Marsh?”

Max lifts her hands up trying to signal the blonde to join her but her blue eyes also freeze, “Yeah, that’s her. You know Kate?”

Chloe rubs the back of her head, weaving her fingers through the length of her hair, “Yeah, we took a summer class together at Blackwell before I went to college.” She looks off into the distance, pondering and collecting her thoughts. More and more it seeps in the dreadful memories, blanching her face. 

She grabs Max’s hand, “Let’s go.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hey everyone. I hope you had a nice holiday. :)
> 
> So, it has been over three months since my last chapter. There's been many things going on with me in real life. Not wanting to jump too much about my personal life, the abridged version is 'I don't have time to write anymore'. At least for now. During the holiday, there was a very small window to write. I found myself not nearly as motivated as I used to be for many reasons. A main reason is because many IRL things happening that is stripping my mental and emotion thoughts away from writing. And, also I realized taking a long break in writing, I have regressed quite a bit in terms of skills. :P This made writing this chapter a bit infuriating. But to satisfy myself, I had to release this chapter. So I apologize if there's writing isn't on par with my previous chapters. I mustered a lot of effort into this. :D So, going forward... should you expect to be TM chapters returning back on schedule? No. Not yet.
> 
> Thanks to Harpu for alpha reading the chapter to give a reality check with the flow and content.
> 
> This chapter was to pick up where the last chapter left of, with Alt Rachel's confrontation with Corbin and Katie. Boy, I had many different ideas for this entire chapter but ultimately it was the same idea. Alt Rachel isn't going to let Katie walk away with Corbin without at least a fight or to deliver a message to Katie to her boyfriend is a scumbag. 
> 
> Sadie was introduced to help tie Katie's past in this 'new' timeline. More and more the chapter progressed, you kind of get a feel of Katie's past. Even though she has a more punkish appearance, she still has some rooting with the Kate Marsh we all love. She still helped a lot of people at church and very kind person. She just went a different direction. She has very strong resentment toward people at Blackwell, her family and her church but she also knows she has stumbled and fallen greatly because of it. I wanted to make it possible for "Kate Marsh" to go this way, if the Vortex Club video went on the internet and there's no blaming on Nathan/Jefferson to help alleviate the impact.
> 
> Unfortunately, given the flow of the chapter I couldn't reveal as much as I wanted with Katie in this one. There were so many other things happening in this chapter with Rachel fighting Corbin. And Sadie jumping in. Then, Mousey Max and Alt Chloe joining Rachel in an awkward reunion. This will set up for the future chapters. :)
> 
> Anyways, that's it for what I can say about this chapter. Like I said before, I struggled hard writing this. That's why it "just" 10k chapter... but I poured everything I got into it. XD 
> 
> Now about BTS, I liked EP3 overall. There were small things I didn't like... I thought Chloe and Sera talk scene felt a bit disconnected. I thought it was a nightmare/ghost scene at first. I didn't like Damon/Frank fight happening off-screen. I also didn't like Damon kind of became the new focus but for the sake of the story it makes sense. The Eliot scene is a bit 'out there' but still okay enough. Maybe, this is what caused Chloe to really be afraid of dating guys. I really liked the final sequences with Chloe + William then Chloe + Sera then the final decision. Though I feel the episode does kind of points you to "Hide Rachel from the Truth." (My decision too xD)
> 
> With William's talk, if he told Chloe the truth, would Chloe think less of him? Chloe said 'No way, I wouldn't think less of you.'. And, then if Chloe asks William if he really ever did lie before? And William says 'I'm already dead. I can't tell you the truth anymore'. I feel this has some parallel with Rachel's death. Rachel did hide some things that would be destructive and harmful to Chloe. But now that Rachel is dead, it is too late to even hear her side of the story. Hell, in the Bay ending of S1, Chloe and Max would never have a chance to tell each other how they truly feel.
> 
> And Sera talk... as much as I really wanted Rachel to meet Sera (I know you can, but I didn't get that ending), I understood what Sera was getting at too. :( In the beginning of the game, when Rachel is talking about the stars. How they are so beautiful but they can be a bunch of lies as they could be dead for millions of years and we would never know. But regardless they are still beautiful for now. I feel it does tie into the final decision very well. That is what I liked about EP3.
> 
> The post-credit scene is a bit crappy. I don't like it like most people. I understand the dev wants to draw an eventual dark tone. But it is a bit cheap I guess. I rather BTS keep it exclusively BTS and not introduce anything from LiS S1. But it's okay!... in my mind since I wrote 350k+ on it, I do imagine this story as my 'headcanon' for Post-S1 ending. XD So, all is good! Well.. for now. :D
> 
> Thank you again for still returning to this story. :D I do plan to finish the story. But, how long it'll take is the big question.


End file.
